{{pageModel.leagueAbbr}} {{pageModel.subtitle}} | Las Vegas Review-Journal
National Basketball Association
Washington 123, Charlotte 114
When: 7:00 PM ET, Thursday, December 19, 2024
Where: Capital One Arena, Washington, District of Columbia
Officials: #3 Nick Buchert, #84 Jenna Schroeder, #74 Curtis Blair
Attendance: 15256

Malcolm Brogdon scored 25 points in his return as the Washington Wizards downed the Charlotte Hornets 123-114 on Thursday night.

Brogdon, who came off the bench and also had six assists in 27 minutes, had missed the last four games with a strained hamstring.

It was just the Wizards' second win in their last 21 games, and it featured a big performance from their young stars, including No. 1 overall pick Alex Sarr, who drained a pair of clutch threes in the final 3 1/2 minutes and finished with 19 points and nine rebounds.

Jordan Poole led Washington with 27. Bilal Coulibaly had 14 points, including an incredible fourth-quarter dunk.

LaMelo Ball finished with 34 points and 13 assists to lead the Hornets, but shot only 11-for-32 from the floor. Charlotte, which got 16 points and eight rebounds apiece from Miles Bridges and Mark Williams, has lost 11 of its last 12.

Neither team was able to carve much of an advantage in the first half, which ended with the Wizards leading 60-58.

The Hornets made a big move in the final minutes of the third quarter with a pair of dunks by Nick Richards and a three by Tidjane Salaun to take their biggest lead at 86-79.

The Wizards responded by scoring the final eight points of the quarter, all by Corey Kispert (13 points), to regain the lead.

Washington never trailed in the fourth, getting back-to-back threes by Poole to go up 101-94 with 5:59 left. With the hosts up by seven a minute later, Poole fed a high pass to Coulibaly, who with his 7-foot-3 wingspan was able to control and slam down with his right hand in an impressive athletic display.

Charlotte drew within seven in the final minute, but Poole sealed it with a pair of free throws.

Poole sank a 3-pointer for the Wizards' first basket and tied a franchise record with Gilbert Arenas with his 53rd straight game with a made three.

The crowd included NBA commissioner Adam Silver, who had attended a press conference earlier in the day announcing a major renovation plan for Capital One Arena to be completed over the next three summers.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Charlotte   Washington
LaMelo Ball 34 Scoring Jordan Poole 27
LaMelo Ball 13 Assists Malcolm Brogdon 6
Miles Bridges 8 Rebounds Carlton Carrington 9
LaMelo Ball 9 Free Throws Made Jordan Poole 8
LaMelo Ball 4 Steals Bilal Coulibaly 2
Moussa Diabate 1 Blocks Alexandre Sarr 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Charlotte 114 40.6 8-43 20-27 30 52 2 12 8
Washington 123 49.4 17-42 24-31 33 52 8 5 18
Upcoming Games
  • Washington will play their next game on the road against Milwaukee. The Wizards have a W/L % of .250 after a win and .143 after a loss.
  • Charlotte will play their next game on the road against Philadelphia. The Hornets have a W/L % of .143 after a win and .300 after a loss.