By Sam Perley, hornets.com
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Result
In a game that played out very much like their heart-breaking loss to the Miami Heat one night earlier, the Hornets rallied in the second half and then held on late to knock off the visiting Washington Wizards, 108-104, on Saturday, Feb. 6, in Charlotte. Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams each recorded a double-double for the Hornets, who notched their ninth victory of the season after trailing by double-digits, which is tied-for-third most in the NBA. John Wall poured in a team-high 23 points for the Wizards in the loss.
Turning Points
Trailing the Wizards by 19 with 1:36 left in the second quarter, the Hornets rolled off a 10-1 run to enter halftime down just 58-48. Later in the third, after a Marcin Gortat layup put the Wizards up, 66-57, Charlotte unleashed a 19-2 stretch in a little over four minutes of play to take an eight-point lead over Washington with 1:31 remaining until the fourth. The Hornets would eventually close out the quarter up 78-75 after outscoring the Wizards, 30-17, in the frame. Charlotte and Washington went back and forth the rest of the way before a Jeremy Lin three-pointer with 29 seconds left provided some separation and put the Hornets up 104-100. The Wizards would cut the lead to 106-104 with two seconds left but a pair of free throws by Kemba Walker would seal the Charlotte victory.
Inside the Box Score
Nicolas Batum tallied a game-high 26 points and also led the Hornets in both rebounds (11) and assists (nine)… Kemba Walker finished with 23 points, five rebounds and five assists… Spencer Hawes notched 14 points, four rebounds and a team-high-tying two blocks off the bench… Marvin Williams finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds for his team-high ninth double-double of the season. The nine double-doubles for Williams are one more than he has had in the last four NBA seasons combined… Cody Zeller chipped in eight points, nine rebounds and a team-high three steals… John Wall tallied team highs in both scoring (23 points) and assists (10) for the Wizards… Bradley Beal finished with 22 points, two rebounds and three assists off the bench… Otto Porter, Jr. scored 20 points, 17 of which came in the second quarter… Marcin Gortat posted his 25th double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds… Jared Dudley (10 points) also scored in double figures for Washington… The Wizards outscored the Hornets on the fast break, 26-13… Washington also edged out Charlotte on the glass, 44-43… After getting outscored in the paint by 32 points against Miami one night earlier, Charlotte bounced back with 36 points in the paint compared to just 32 for the Wizards… Washington’s bench outscored Charlotte’s, 38-29.
Hornets Player of the Game
Nicolas Batum put together a dynamic all-around performance, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 9-of-20 shooting to go along with team highs in both rebounds (11) and assists (nine) in the Hornets win. This is Batum’s eighth double-double of the season, which is the second-highest single-season total of his eight-year NBA career.
Wizards Player of the Game
John Wall tallied a team-high 23 points on 7-of-17 shooting, six rebounds, a game-high 10 assists and two steals to lead the way for the Wizards. This is Wall’s third-consecutive double-double and 28th overall on the season, which is currently tied for fifth-most in the NBA.
Game Notes
Alan Anderson (ankle), Nene (calf) and Kris Humphries (knee) did not play for the Wizards… Charlotte swept both home games in a single season against the Wizards for the first time since 2012-13… These teams will conclude their season series in Washington on April 10.
Next Up
The Hornets will finish their four-game homestand against the Chicago Bulls at 7 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8 in Charlotte. This game can be seen on FOX Sports Southeast or heard on WFNZ or on the official Charlotte Hornets mobile app.
Spencer Hawes Postgame Twinterview
Following the win against the Washington Wizards, the Hornets Spencer Hawes sat down to answer your Twitter questions for a post game “Twinterview"