Pourous defense, bad shooting do in Charlotte Hornets against Washington Wizards

The Charlotte Hornets had a chance Monday to overtake the Washington Wizards for fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Instead, the Hornets broke a three-game winning streak, all of which were won in the Spectrum Center. The Hornets fell to the Wizards 109-99 on a night when the defense was porous and the shooting wasn’t much.

The Wizards (24-20) shot 54 percent from the field; the Hornets (23-22) shot 39 percent.

The Hornets got 21 points from point guard Kemba Walker. His Washington counterpart, John Wall, finished with 24 points and seven assists. Wizards forward Markieff Morris scored 23.

The Wizards lead the season series with the Hornets 2-0.

Three who mattered

Wall: He dominated the first half with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting.

Walker: After a rough first half, he scored eight third-quarter points to help fuel a comeback from down 15.

Morris: Wizards forward reached 20 points.

Observations

▪  After a recent slump, it looks like Hornets reserve power forward Frank Kaminsky has turned it around of late. In the three games prior to Monday he averaged 12.3 points on 52 percent shooting from the field and 54 percent from 3-point range.

▪  Walker has passed Larry Johnson for second-most free throw attempts in Hornets history. Walker now trails only Gerald Wallace (1,998).

▪  Power forward Marvin Williams suffered a right toe contusion in the first half. He was listed as questionable to return, but he re-entered the game with about five minutes left in the second quarter.

▪  Walker was charged with a technical foul late in the first half. That was his fourth tech this season.

▪  Hornets owner Michael Jordan sat courtside. He ended his playing career as a Wizard.

Worth mentioning

▪  Hornets point guard Brian Roberts missed Monday’s game with an illness.

▪  Hornets guard-forward Jeremy Lamb missed his sixth consecutive game with an inflamed metatarsal. Coach Steve Clifford said Lamb hasn’t been able to participate in practices or game-day shootarounds.

▪  Wizards guard Bradley Beal came out of Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons with a sore left foot. After testing the injury Monday, Beal decided he was well enough to play.

Report card

C OFFENSE: The Hornets’ Walker-Nic Batum backcourt couldn’t make first-half shots.

D DEFENSE: The tone was set giving up 60 first-half points. Wall destroyed the Hornets in pick-and-roll.

C COACHING: The winning streak ends at three with the Golden State Warriors in town Wednesday.

This story was originally published January 23, 2017 at 9:38 PM with the headline "Pourous defense, bad shooting do in Charlotte Hornets against Washington Wizards."