CHARLOTTE, N.C. — LaMelo Ball scored 34 points but it wasn't enough for the Charlotte Hornets to overcome an ugly blowout loss to Kyle Kuzma and the Washington Wizards.
Washington used a 41-17 second quarter to all but clinch the game at halftime with a 65-46 lead. Both teams had an even second half, leaving the score 132-116 in favor of the Wizards at the final buzzer.
The Wizards managed 18 3-pointers in the game, compared to just eight for the Hornets. Charlotte allowed 35 points off of 22 turnovers while Washington allowed just 12 points off of 11 turnovers.
Charlotte held a 29-24 lead after the first quarter but any hopes of getting a win at home were snapped when the Wizards' second-quarter onslaught began. A 23-3 run for Washington took up almost all of the period and the Hornets suddenly found themselves down 19 points going into the locker room. Danilo Gallinari led Washington with 13 points in the quarter.
The Hornets made a slight comeback attempt and pulled within seven points in the third quarter but the Wizards answered back at every turn.
A 70-point second half turned out to be an afterthought for Charlotte as they lost the demoralizing contest with a 16-point deficit.
Kuzma led the Wizards with 33 points. The next highest-scoring Washington player was Gallinari with 18 points.
The Hornets were led by Ball with 34 points in his second-consecutive 30-point game. Gordon Hayward followed him with 18 points. In his first start, rookie Brandon Miller had 13 points while making 5 of 11 shots.
Washington was the only team below the Hornets in the Southeast Standings. Charlotte now falls to last in the division and is only ahead of the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference.
Charlotte is back in action on Friday against a familiar foe, the Washington Wizards, for both teams' first game in the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament.