Hornets 101, Wizards 87
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Guard Nicholas Batum scored 16 points and had 11 assists, and the Charlotte Hornets used a big fourth-quarter run to beat the Washington Wizards 101-87 on Wednesday.
Guards Jeremy Lamb and Kemba Walker added 18 and 16 respectively. Forward Cody Zeller scored 11 for Charlotte, which outscored the Wizards 25-2 over the final eight minutes to win their fourth straight.
Center Al Jefferson and forward Marvin Williams also finished with double-doubles for the Hornets, each scoring 14 points and pulling down 11 rebounds.
Reserve guard Gary Neal scored 18 points and center Marcin Gortat had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards. Guards Bradley Beal and John Wall added 17 and 14 respectively for Washington, which scored the final 13 points of the third quarter and held an 81-74 lead entering the fourth.
The Wizards extended their lead to nine points, 85-76, on two Jared Dudley free throws with 9:53 left in the fourth. But Washington would go ice cold after that, going scoreless until Neal hit a pair of free throws with 23.1 seconds remaining.
Williams tied the score at 85-85 with two free throws with 5:56 remaining, and a Batum 3-pointer 58 seconds later put Charlotte in the lead for good.
Charlotte used its scoring balance and shooting to bounce back from a slow start and take a 58-54 halftime lead.
NOTES: Three former Hornets/Bobcats players are on the Wizards' roster. G-F Jared Dudley was the Bobcats' first-round pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, guard Gary Neal played 43 games for the Hornets during the 2014-2015 season and guard Ramon Sessions played 116 games in two seasons (2012-2014) with the Bobcats. ... Wizards G John Wall also has a North Carolina connection, having grown up in Raleigh, a 2 1/2-hour drive from Charlotte. ... The Hornets were 6-1 at Time Warner Cable Arena this season and entered Wednesday's game against the Wizards on a six-game home winning streak. Their last home loss came Nov. 1 in their home opener, falling to the Atlanta Hawks 94-92. ... The Hornets continue to lead the Eastern Conference in home scoring (111.3 per game) and home 3-pointers made (11.0 per game), and are second in home 3-point shooting (39.9 percent). ... The Hornets are also in the middle of their longest homestand (seven games) in team history. After Wednesday's game against the Wizards, they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday, the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday and the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Dec. 2.