Wizards 113, Hornets 98
WASHINGTON -- The Charlotte Hornets' hopes for home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs took a hit with a 113-98 loss to the Washington Wizards, playing without John Wall, on Sunday afternoon.
Trailing 55-48 at halftime, Charlotte (46-34) rallied for a 71-69 lead with 3:49 left in the third quarter only to see Washington finish the period with a 17-3 surge for an 86-74 lead.
The Hornets had won two straight and 16 of 21 since March 1. Another win would have moved them into a tie for fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the idle Celtics heading into Monday's meeting in Boston. Frank Kaminsky had 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets.
Marcin Gortat finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds for the Wizards (39-41), who were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoff hunt following Friday's 112-99 loss at the Detroit Pistons.
The Hornets put forth another push as an 8-0 run cut the lead to 88-84, but the Wizards came back with eight in a row starting a 14-2 spurt. Gortat's layup gave Washington a 102-86 lead with 4:05 remaining.
Kemba Walker scored 16 points and Marvin Williams had 14 for the Hornets. Charlotte shot 34.6 percent from the field. Washington sank 52.5 percent of its attempts.
Wall missed his third straight game with a sore right knee after playing in each of Washington's first 77 contests.
Bradley Beal, Wall's usual backcourt partner, only played eight minutes during the first quarter. He did return due to a sore pelvis injury that kept him out four games last month.
Charlotte, which began the day tied with the Miami Heat for fifth, cannot finish below sixth in the East. Miami could break the tie if the Heat defeat the Orlando Magic Sunday night in Miami. The top four seeds receive home-court advantage in the opening round.
Marcus Thornton started the second half with Beal out and scored 16 points. Ramon Sessions had 15 points and 11 assists in his third straight start in place of Wall and his third start of the season.
The win ensured a 2-2 season series split. Charlotte rallied from double-digit deficits in the second half in both of its previous wins over Washington this season.
Washington led by as many as 14 points before entering halftime leading 55-48. Gortat had 10 points and eight rebounds. Kaminsky also scored 10 points.
NOTES: Hornets coach Steve Clifford isn't a big fan of noon start times, but he sees the value with the postseason coming up. "It definitely takes the guys out of their rotation," Clifford said before Sunday's tipoff. "I think it's also good practice for the upcoming playoffs where you know that you are going to play at a different time every (day)." ... Wizards G Ramon Sessions made his third straight start in place of injured John Wall (knee). ... Charlotte enters Monday's game at Boston, its final road game of the regular season, 11-4 in the second game of back-to-backs. The Celtics lead the season series 2-0. ... Washington concludes its road slate Monday at the Brooklyn Nets.