Hornets 92, Wizards 88
Hornets 92, Wizards 88: Al Jefferson had 18 points and 12 rebounds as visiting Charlotte handed Washington its third straight loss.
Brian Roberts also scored 18 points for the Hornets, who strengthened their grip on eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Gerald Henderson added 17 points and a team-high five assists, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist finished with 13 points and 13 rebounds and Gary Neal scored 12 off the bench for Charlotte.
Bradley Beal had 18 points and a season-high 11 rebounds to lead the Wizards, who matched their longest losing streak of the season. John Wall added 16 points and 10 assists but shot 4-for-14 and Kris Humphries tallied 13 points in a reserve role for Washington.
The Wizards went the first 5 1/2 minutes of the third quarter without scoring and fell behind by as much as 12 during that stretch before scoring the last eight points to pull within 70-66 entering the fourth. Beal scored off Marvin Williams' turnover to pull Washington within two points with 6:37 remaining in the game, but the Wizards went another five minutes without a field goal and the Hornets were able to extend the lead back to eight before holding Washington off at the free-throw line.
Otto Porter Jr. sank a jumper at the first-quarter buzzer to pull Washington within 28-24 after the Hornets shot 59.1 percent from the floor and the Wizards moved ahead 39-38 on Beal’s 3-pointer just before the midway point of the second quarter. The Hornets broke a tie at 44 with a 7-0 run and eventually took a 53-51 lead into the half.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Washington F Paul Pierce scored 11 points and passed Alex English for 15th place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. … The Wizards fell to 10-9 with the starting lineup of Wall, Beal, Marcin Gortat, Nene and Pierce. … The starting front court of Gortat, Nene and Pierce did not attempt a free throw in the game.