Without Nic Batum, Charlotte Hornets rally to beat Washington Wizards in OT
The Charlotte Hornets lost a starter Wednesday, but they saved a game in overtime.
Playing without guard Nic Batum in the second half, the Hornets (8-9) made up a deficit of as much as 11 points, beating the Washington Wizards in overtime, 129-124 at Spectrum Center.
Batum suffered a contusion of his left elbow. Jeremy Lamb started the second half, finishing with 24 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Hornets center Dwight Howard had 26 points and 13 rebounds, and point guard Kemba Walker added 24 points, five assists and five rebounds.
The Hornets extended their winning streak to three games after losing six in a row.
John Wall finished with 31 points and 11 assists for Washington. Bradley Beal added 22 points.
Howard blocked Beal’s baseline jump shot to force overtime at 114-114.
Three who mattered
Howard: He backed up a great night Monday against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wall: He reached a 20-10 game in regulation.
Lamb: He could be back in the starting lineup if Batum’s injury is serious.
Observations
▪ Batum’s injury is to the same elbow that caused him to miss six weeks, after tearing a ligament in the preseason. The Hornets did not have an update on Batum’s condition during the game.
▪ Statistical oddity: While the Hornets average the second-fewest turnovers in the league (13.5 per game), they entered Wednesday with a slight deficit in giveaways to takeaways. They are last in the NBA in steals, averaging 5.7 per game. Clifford believes long-armed backup point guard Michael Carter-Williams will improve the team’s defense in the passing lanes over time.
▪ The Hornets will be off from practice Thursday for Thanksgiving before flying to Cleveland late afternoon for Friday’s road game against the Cavaliers. The Hornets are in a particularly busy stretch of six games in nine days.
▪ The Wizards’ Scott Brooks, who coached Lamb in Oklahoma City, said the biggest difference he sees is how much stronger and heavier Lamb is now.
▪ The Hornets prioritize interior defense, but it wasn’t good in the first half, when the Wizards scored 28 points in the lane.
Worth mentioning
▪ Clifford said at shootaround Wednesday morning he wants his team taking more shots from 3-point range. The Hornets average 26.4 shots from 3, and Clifford wants that closer to 30.
▪ The night before Thanksgiving is usually a strong walk-up crowd for Charlotte NBA games, but there were lots of empty seats in the upper deck Wednesday.
▪ Howard reached 20 points and 10 rebounds by the end of the third quarter.
Report card
B OFFENSE: They did a fine job of creating free-throw attempts, and scored 15 in overtime.
C DEFENSE: They gave up too many points in the lane, but Howard was terrific at the end of regulation.
B+ COACHING: These are the close games at home they need to win to make up for the road record.
Rick Bonnell: 704-358-5129, @rick_bonnell
HORNETS 129, WIZARDS 124 (OT)
Washington | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Morris | 34:15 | 6-10 | 1-1 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 14 |
Porter Jr. | 27:44 | 4-9 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
Gortat | 36:45 | 4-4 | 0-0 | 11 | 3 | 3 | 8 |
Beal | 40:56 | 7-22 | 5-7 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 22 |
Wall | 41:08 | 13-26 | 5-6 | 1 | 11 | 4 | 31 |
Oubre Jr. | 23:14 | 3-9 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 9 |
Scott | 18:45 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
Mahinmi | 16:15 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
Meeks | 14:06 | 4-9 | 1-2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
Frazier | 11:52 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
Totals | 265:00 | 48-99 | 17-22 | 43 | 25 | 29 | 124 |
Percentages: FG .485, FT .773. 3-Point Goals: 11-33, .333 (Scott 3-5, Beal 3-8, Porter Jr. 2-3, Frazier 1-1, Morris 1-3, Oubre Jr. 1-3, Meeks 0-5, Wall 0-5). Team Rebounds: 8. Team Turnovers: 12 (16 PTS). Blocked Shots: 6 (Gortat 2, Beal, Frazier, Morris, Wall). Turnovers: 12 (Beal 3, Frazier 2, Morris 2, Gortat, Oubre Jr., Porter Jr., Scott, Wall). Steals: 4 (Beal 2, Mahinmi, Wall).
Charlotte | Min | FG-A | FT-A | R | A | F | Pt |
Kidd-Gilchrist | 36:18 | 6-11 | 0-1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 12 |
Williams | 30:18 | 3-7 | 4-4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 12 |
Howard | 37:18 | 10-13 | 6-10 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 26 |
Batum | 13:48 | 1-6 | 0-0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Walker | 40:26 | 8-22 | 5-6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 24 |
Lamb | 37:15 | 9-17 | 3-3 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 24 |
Kaminsky | 22:58 | 3-7 | 6-6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 12 |
Carter-Williams | 18:14 | 2-4 | 5-6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 |
Zeller | 15:44 | 0-2 | 4-4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Bacon | 12:41 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Totals | 265:00 | 43-91 | 33-40 | 48 | 23 | 20 | 129 |
Percentages: FG .473, FT .825. 3-Point Goals: 10-28, .357 (Lamb 3-8, Walker 3-8, Carter-Williams 2-2, Williams 2-5, Kaminsky 0-2, Batum 0-3). Team Rebounds: 12. Team Turnovers: 11 (19 PTS). Blocked Shots: 5 (Lamb 3, Howard, Kidd-Gilchrist). Turnovers: 11 (Carter-Williams 2, Howard 2, Kaminsky 2, Walker 2, Bacon, Lamb, Zeller). Steals: 5 (Carter-Williams 3, Kidd-Gilchrist, Williams). Technical Fouls: Walker, 10:32 third.
Washington | 26 | 33 | 29 | 26 | 10 | — | 124 |
Charlotte | 25 | 30 | 29 | 30 | 15 | — | 129 |
Att.—16,041 (19,077). T—2:32.
Officials—Aaron Smith, Ben Taylor, James Capers
This story was originally published November 22, 2017 at 10:00 PM with the headline "Without Nic Batum, Charlotte Hornets rally to beat Washington Wizards in OT."