By Sam Perley, hornets.com
Result For the second-consecutive game, the Hornets put together a stellar fourth-quarter performance to rally for victory as they knocked off the Washington Wizards, 101-87, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, in Charlotte. Trailing by seven points at the end of the third quarter, the Hornets crushed Washington in the fourth, outscoring the Wizards, 27-6, and established a new franchise record for fewest points allowed in a single quarter. Jeremy Lamb led all Charlotte scorers with 18 points off the bench while former-Hornet Gary Neal also finished with 18 points to lead the Wizards in the loss.
Turning Points With Charlotte holding a 74-68 lead at the 3:42 mark of the third quarter, the Wizards rolled off a 17-2 run that crossed into the fourth to take a nine-point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining. However, the Hornets would more than respond as they closed out the game on an unbelievable 25-2 run to knock off Washington, 101-87. Charlotte ultimately outscored the Wizards, 27-6, in the quarter, connecting on 9-of-18 field-goal attempts (3-of-7 from three-point range) as well as on all six attempts from the free-throw line.
Inside the Box Score Jeremy Lamb came off the bench to finish with a team-high 18 points, which is his 11th double-digit scoring performance in 14 games this season. Lamb also pulled down seven rebounds and dished out three assists… Nicolas Batum flirted with a triple-double, tallying 16 points, seven rebounds, a season-high 11 assists and two steals… Kemba Walker also finished with 16 points along with five assists and two blocks… Al Jefferson and Marvin Williams each recorded their fourth double-double of the season as they both finished with exactly 14 points and 11 rebounds… Cody Zeller tacked on 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench… Gary Neal led all Wizards scorers with 18 points and three rebounds off the bench… Marcin Gortat and Bradley Beal each finished with 17 points… Gortat also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds… John Wall also scored in double figures, finishing with 14 points, five rebounds, six assists and six steals… Charlotte shot 47.0 percent from the field (39-of-83) while Washington made just 35.6 percent of its attempts (31-of-87)… the Hornets were a perfect 15-of-15 from the free-throw line while the Wizards drained 15-of-18 attempts from the charity stripe (83.3 percent)… Charlotte won the rebounding battle, 51-41, while the Wizards had just 14 turnovers compared to 19 giveaways by the Hornets.
Hornets Player of the Game Nicolas Batum continued the strong start to his Hornets career, tallying 16 points, seven rebounds, a season-high 11 assists and two steals in Charlotte’s fourth-straight win. This was Batum’s first points/assists double-double of the season (third double-double overall) and the eighth points/assists double-double of his career.
Wizards Player of the Game Marcin Gortat put together a strong performance for the visiting Wizards, finishing with 17 points, a game-high 12 rebounds and two blocks in the loss. Gortat, who notched his third double-double of the season, has now scored in double figures in nine-consecutive games.
Game Notes P.J. Hairston left the game in the third quarter (head) and did not return… Charlotte snapped a two-game losing streak to the Wizards… The Hornets are now 8-0 this season when scoring 100-or-more points in a game… Kemba Walker notched the 1,600th assist of his career, becoming the fifth player in franchise history to reach this milestone (Muggsy Bogues, David Wesley, Baron Davis and Raymond Felton)
Next Up The Hornets will do battle with the Cleveland Cavaliers at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 27 in Charlotte. The game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
