Williams scores season-best 30 as Hornets edge Wizards

Marvin Williams erupted for a season-high 30 points, and the Charlotte Hornets held on in the closing seconds for a 112-111 victory over the visiting Washington Wizards on Friday night. The Hornets won when Washington's Bradley Beal missed a drive in heavy traffic with three seconds remaining. Charlotte's Jeremy Lamb had given the Hornets a 112-111 lead on a 3-pointer with 51.5 seconds remaining.

The Hornets snapped a two-game losing streak with the victory. They had lost nine of their previous 12 games to fall all the way to 10th in the Eastern Conference playoff race. Williams was 10 of 16 from the field and matched his career high of seven 3-pointers. Lamb finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds off the bench, and he also had a key blocked shot on the possession after he gave the Hornets their 112-111 lead. The Hornets also got 18 points from Kemba Walker and 10 each from Nicolas Batum and Dwayne Bacon.

It was Bacon who supplied the defense against Beal in the final seconds. The Hornets lost Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the second quarter with a knee strain, which gave Bacon his opportunity to play.

Bobby Portis led Washington with 23 points and nine rebounds. Beal finished with 15 points on 4-of-21 shooting, after he had scored 46 against the Hornets three weeks ago. Jabari Parker also scored 15, Thomas Bryant had 12 while Jeff Green and Tomas Satoransky scored 11 each. The Wizards had won two straight and three of their previous four.

The Hornets and Wizards had split two previous games this season, each winning at home. The Hornets are in 10th place in the Eastern Conference playoff race, in a virtual tie with No. 9 Orlando and remained one full game behind No. 8 Miami, who also won Friday night. The Wizards are in 11th place, three games behind the Hornets.

The Hornets led 32-22 after one quarter. Washington roared back and led 52-51 at halftime. The Hornets went on an 11-0 run early in the third quarter and led by seven, but the Wizards fought back again to lead 83-82 after three quarters. The Wizards will continue on the road with a game at Minnesota on Saturday. The Hornets will head out on a four-game road trip, starting Saturday at Milwaukee.

The Hornets and Wizards will meet again in Washington next Friday. --Field Level Media

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