By Matt Gorry, hornets.com
The Result
The Hornets poured in 30 points in the fourth quarter to battle back and drop the Washington Wizards, 96-86, on Oct. 17 at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
Turning Points
Washington led the way for three quarters, including a 68-66 edge heading into the final frame before the Hornets caught fire. Charlotte took the lead on a pair of P.J. Hairston free throws early in the fourth as part of a 20-1 spurt to take the lead for good… The Hornets outscored Washington 30-18 in the stanza to coast to the 10-point win.
Inside the Box Score
After shooting just 34.1 percent from the field their last time out, the Hornets hit on 44 percent (36-of-82) of their shots against the Wizards, including a 47.4 mark (9-of-19) from behind the arc… Charlotte was a perfect 15-of-15 from the free throw line… Leading the way was Al Jefferson, who shot 10-of-21 from the floor for 20 points. He added eight rebounds and two steals… Kemba Walker returned after missing one game with a left knee contusion and out-dueled All-Star John Wall for the second time this preseason, finishing with 16 points, five boards and four assists… Michael Kidd-Gilchrist continued his strong play, tallying 12 points, 11 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocks… Jannero Pargo came off the bench and added 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting… P.J. Hairston drained 3-of-4 shots from downtown for 11 points.
Hornets Player of the Game
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, four steals, two assists and two blocked shots. MKG was also a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Pistons Player of the Game
All-Star John Wall powered the Wizards on the night, finishing with 14 points, five boards, three dimes and two steals in the losing effort.
Game Notes
All 10 players who saw action in the game scored, with five reaching double figures… Marvin Williams finished with eight points, five assists, four boards and three steals… Gary Neal started in place of Lance Stephenson and finished with four points and three assists… Brian Roberts shot 3-for-5 from the floor for seven points… Cody Zeller added four points, three boards and three assists… Charlotte won the rebound battle, 41-37… It was the second preseason win for the Hornets over Washington after a 99-86 victory on Oct. 10 in Greenville, S.C.
Next Up
The Hornets head to Chicago on the second leg of a three-game road trip to take on the Bulls on Oct. 19. The game can be heard on WFNZ or on the Hornets mobile app.