Charlotte Hornets top the Washington Wizards, 122-105

Frank Kaminsky led the Charlotte Hornets past the Washington Wizards as the Queen City team continues their playoff push.

The Charlotte Hornets (26-33) were able to defeat the Washington Wizards (34-25) as they picked up their third consecutive victory. The two-headed monster of Kemba Walker and Frank Kaminsky carried the Hornets as they combined for 49 points. Bradley Beal had 33 points but it wasn’t enough for the John Wall-less Wizards to get the win.

Every player was active for Charlotte in this one. The only two players who weren’t with the team were two-way players Mangok Mathiang and Marcus Paige who are in the G-League with the Greensboro Swarm. Malik Monk, Dwayne Bacon and Willy Hernangomez each played one minute in garbage time.

Game Story

The Hornets outscored the Wizards in every quarter except the third where they were with 27 points. Charlotte used a 12-4 run in the second period to propel them into a commanding lead which they held for the remainder of the game. They even pushed their lead to as much as 22 points in the fourth quarter. The difference in this game was Kaminsky’s play off the bench and the Hornets’ ability to capitalize off of the Wizards’ turnovers.

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Player of the Game:

Frank Kaminsky led Charlotte as he finished with a team-high 25 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists off of the bench. He set a new career-high with six made three-point shots and did so in only 24 minutes. The Tank was also a team-high +24 in +/-.

Kemba Walker added 24 points, seven rebounds and five made three’s. Marvin Williams scored 15 points while Michael Kidd-Gilchrist put up 14 points. Dwight Howard and Jeremy Lamb each had 11 points to round out the Hornets’ double-figure scorers.

The Wizards were led by Bradley Beal who ended the night with a game-high 33 points. He also had six rebounds and six assists. Otto Porter Jr. chipped in 16 points while Markieff Morris had an all-around game with 13 points, eight assists and six boards. Kelly Oubre Jr. led Washington’s second unit with 11 points. Tomas Satoransky, who started in place of the injured John Wall, was held to only 11 points.

Highlight of the Night:

Tweet of the Game:

"Quick Stings"

• This was Kemba’s 500th career game.
• MKG became only the fourth player in team history with 250+ blocks and steals.
• Dwight picked up his 12th technical foul of the season.
• Walker scored 15 points in the third quarter alone.
• The Hornets scored 28 points off of turnovers compared to only 7 for the Wizards.

With the win, Charlotte improves to 3-0 on the season against Washington. The Hornets have now won three straight games over the Wizards and four of their last five meetings dating back to last season. They will meet once more this year on March 31st in nation’s capital.

Next: Rumor: Hornets, Knicks discussed Monk trade

In their next outing, the Hornets will return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, February 25th. It will be the third and final meeting between the two sides this season. It will be the deciding game as each team took one of the first two games. Steve Clifford’s side will extend their win streak to four games and continue their unbeaten run post-All-Star Break.