Wizards trade deadline acquisitions Khris Middleton and Bilal Coulibaly both had solid performances, putting up 17 points, as the Washington Wizards won for just the second time in their last nine games, beating their host, the Charlotte Hornets 113-100 on Saturday night.
It was a balanced scoring attack, with eight players cracking double digits for the Wizards, with Richaun Holmes collecting 15 points and nine boards off the bench. Sharpshooter Corey Kispert had 13 points and Marcus Smart contributed a dozen.
Center Mark Williams, who is making significant strides with every passing game, had a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds for Charlotte. LaMelo Ball returned from another missed game and finished with 20 points.
Miles Bridges had 18 points and a team-high seven helpers, Josh Green racked up 13 points and Nick Smith Jr. accumulated 12 points for the Hornets, who lost their sixth consecutive game.
The Wizards have won 11 games, including a four-game season sweep against the 14-win Hornets. Not exactly a marque matchup on the NBA schedule.
Washington shot a respectable 45.5 percent from the field, burying 17 3-pointers. Of their 88 attempts from the floor, 50 were from beyond the arc. Eight Wizards made at least one triple, led by three each from Couilbaly, Bub Carrington and Kispert.
Washington also converted 16 of their 17 free-throw attempts.
Charlotte committed 17 giveaways in their first game following a 1-8 road trip that has been an Achilles heel over the past few weeks.
The Wizards relied on a strong defensive effort in the third quarter, outscoring the Hornets 30-14 to grab an eleven-point advantage, 84-73.
The Hornets went ballistic, posting a 34-point second quarter for a 59-54 halftime lead. Bridges had 16 points by the break. Williams shot an efficient 11 of 14 from the field, but Charlotte shot 44.1 percent from the field as a unit and hit 4 of their 6 foul shots. Ball shot 7 of 19 from the floor, making five of his 13 3-point attempts.
The Hornets bench was quiet as a mouse, registering only 13 points.
Injuries have ravaged and taken their toll on Charlotte’s bench. The reserves who saw action against the Wizards included Moussa Diabate, Tidjane Salaun, DaQuan Jeffries, Damion Baugh and Malachi Flynn. It was Flynn’s first game since signing with the Hornets.
Both teams take to the hardwood on Monday night. The Wizards visit Tyler Herro and the Miami Heat, while the Hornets host Stephen Curry, who grew up in Charlotte and the Golden State Warriors.
