Kyle Kuzma’s 28 points and Bradley Beal’s 26 points carried the Washington Wizards to a 106-102 victory against the visiting Charlotte Hornets on Sunday night.
Kuzma, who also had 10 rebounds, shot 10 for 18 from the field, making four 3-pointers. His offense early in the fourth quarter set the tone for the rest of the game as the Wizards won for the sixth time in their last seven games.
Washington’s Corey Kispert chipped in with 14 points, while Kristaps Porzingis and Deni Avdija, who grabbed 13 rebounds, both scored 12 points.
The Hornets have lost 11 of their last 12. Kelly Oubre Jr. pumped in 23 points, Gordon Hayward added 20, P.J. Washington had 13 and Nick Richards provided 11 off the bench.
Both teams did damage in the lane, with offensive rebounding critical for both teams in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets had chances to cut into a five-point hole, but P.J. Washington missed a 3-pointer. That was part of a scoring drought of more than 2 1/2 minutes when Charlotte went 0-for-5 from the field and 0-for-2 on free throws.
The Wizards wasted chances to seal the outcome, so when Terry Rozier hit two free throws at the 34-second mark, it made it 102-98.
Rozier’s drive for a basket pulled the Hornets closer, but Porzingis hit two foul shots before a Hayward dunk and Kispert free throws.
The Wizards outscored Charlotte by 39-24 from behind the 3-point arc, but 17 turnovers hurt Washington’s cause. Rozier went 3 for 14 from the field, missing all six of his long-range attempts.
Kuzma scored eight points as Washington used an 11-2 stretch across the first 2:15 of the fourth to go up 88-81. He had 11 of the first 14 Wizards points in the quarter.
The Wizards had a 10-point lead in the first, but the Hornets moved ahead 79-77 through three quarters.
–Field Level Media
