CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeremy Lamb had 18 points and seven rebounds, Nicolas Batum added 16 points and 11 assists and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Washington Wizards, 101-87, on Wednesday night by closing with a 25-2 run.
The Hornets overcame a late nine-point deficit and set a franchise record by holding the Wizards to six points in the fourth quarter. Charlotte (9-6) ran its home winning streak to seven games and has won five of six overall.
Kemba Walker, coming off a 39-point game Monday night in Charlotte’s overtime win over the Sacramento Kings, added 16 points, and Marvin Williams and Al Jefferson each had 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Wizards (6-6) led 85-76 with less than five minutes to play, but were 0-for-17 from the field with three turnovers in their final 19 possessions.
Marcin Gortat led Washington with 17 points and 12 rebounds, his third double-double of the season, and Bradley Beal also had 17 points. The Wizards dropped games on back-to-back nights after winning their last three.
The Wizards outscored the Hornets, 27-16, in the third quarter, finishing with a 13-0 run to take an 81-74 lead. Washington held Charlotte to 0-for-5 shooting while forcing five turnovers during that span.
But as they have done in so many home games this season, the Hornets found a way to battle back.
Batum made two 3-pointers to help give the Hornets the lead at 88-85 with roughly five minutes to play. Lamb added an 18-foot jumper from the left wing to make it a five-point game with 4:19 left.
While the Wizards struggled to make a shot, Jefferson scored off a feed from Lamb, and Walker scored on backdoor layup to push Charlotte’s lead to 94-85.
Charlotte’s backups were a combined 10-for-14 from the field in the first half, helping the Hornets open a 58-54 lead at the break. Charlotte dominated in the paint early on, outscoring the Wizards, 30-14.
Gary Neal had 14 points, giving him consecutive double-digit scoring performances for the first time this season.
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