Hayward, Ball lead late Hornets surge past Wizards in their NBA In-Season Tournament debut
WASHINGTON (AP) Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, LaMelo Ball added 25 and the Charlotte Hornets shook off their 3-point shooting struggles just in time to earn a 124-117 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
Mark Williams added 21 points and career-high 24 rebounds for the Hornets, who made a winning debut in the NBA In-Season Tournament with a road victory in East Group B.
Williams' total included 15 offensive rebounds, a franchise record.
"Those extra chances, those extra possessions turned out to be critical,” Williams said.
Charlotte entered Friday as the Eastern Conference's worst team from beyond the arc and made a season-low six 3s on 28 attempts.
But between Ball and Hayward, the Hornets sank four of their last five from deep to split a home-and-home set after Washington's win on Wednesday.
Williams led Charlotte to a dominating 67-36 edge on the glass - a plus-31 margin that marked another franchise best - to help the game stay close until the shooting finally came around.
When it did, the Hornets outscored the Wizards 36-20 in the fourth quarter.
“We’re going to have to figure out the 3-point shooting,” said Hornets coach Steve Clifford. “'Cause tonight, we got ones that we’ll make eventually, and we did make them late. But as much as anything, it's just great fourth-quarter play."
Kyle Kuzma scored 17 points for Washington, failing to reach 20 for the first time this season. Tyus Jones added 16 as the Wizards fell to 0-2 in Group B play.
“Obviously, it was a very winnable game,” said Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. “Take care of one area and I think it just changes the game completely.”
After starting the game down 15-3 and trailing by as many as 16 in the second quarter, Charlotte responded to take two brief third-quarter leads before edging in front again when Ball's fourth 3 from the left wing made it 110-109 with 4:24 left in the game.
Ball fed Hayward for another 3 before Hayward converted a three-point play following a leaner in traffic to stretch it to 116-111.
The Hornets missed their final 3, but Williams was there for a follow-up dunk to put an exclamation point on Charlotte's late surge.
“We started making some shots - Melo made some big ones down the stretch,” Williams said. “And then we got some stops. Twenty points we gave up in the fourth? That’s big time.”
UP NEXT
Hornets: Visit New York on Sunday.
Wizards: Visit Brooklyn on Sunday.
--
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
Copyright 2024 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Mark Williams vs. Daniel Gafford (LaMelo Ball gains possession) | ||
| 11:43 |  | P.J. Washington turnover (bad pass) (Daniel Gafford steals) | ||
| 11:26 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:22 | | Gordon Hayward defensive rebound | ||
| 11:15 | | LaMelo Ball misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:13 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 11:02 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving finger roll layup (Kyle Kuzma assists) | 0-2 |
| 10:49 | | P.J. Washington misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:46 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 10:34 | | +3 | Kyle Kuzma makes three point jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 0-5 |
| 10:15 | | LaMelo Ball misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:11 | | Deni Avdija defensive rebound | ||
| 10:03 | | Kyle Kuzma offensive foul (P.J. Washington draws the foul) | ||
| 10:03 | | Kyle Kuzma turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:45 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 9:41 | | Daniel Gafford defensive rebound | ||
| 9:35 | | +2 | Jordan Poole makes two point driving floating jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 0-7 |
| 9:16 | | Mark Williams misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 9:14 | | Jordan Poole defensive rebound | ||
| 9:10 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 0-10 |
| 8:56 | | Tyus Jones shooting foul (LaMelo Ball draws the foul) | ||
| 8:56 | | +1 | LaMelo Ball makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 1-10 |
| 8:56 | | LaMelo Ball misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 8:54 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 8:41 | | Deni Avdija turnover (lost ball) (LaMelo Ball steals) | ||
| 8:33 | | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point dunk (Gordon Hayward assists) | 3-10 |
| 8:18 | | Kyle Kuzma misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:14 | | Mark Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 8:08 | | LaMelo Ball turnover (bad pass) (Deni Avdija steals) | ||
| 8:02 | | +3 | Tyus Jones makes three point jump shot (Deni Avdija assists) | 3-13 |
| 7:51 | | Brandon Miller turnover (palming) | ||
| 7:30 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point floating jump shot | 3-15 |
| 7:14 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point pullup jump shot (Gordon Hayward assists) | 5-15 |
| 7:01 | | Deni Avdija misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:00 | | LaMelo Ball defensive rebound | ||
| 6:53 | | Mark Williams misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:47 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 6:34 | | +2 | Daniel Gafford makes two point driving dunk (Jordan Poole assists) | 5-17 |
| 6:34 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 6:21 | | Brandon Miller misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 6:17 | | Brandon Miller offensive rebound | ||
| 6:17 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point putback layup | 7-17 |
| 6:00 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:54 | | Mark Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 5:35 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:31 | | Brandon Miller offensive rebound | ||
| 5:29 | | +2 | JT Thor makes two point jump shot (Brandon Miller assists) | 9-17 |
| 5:15 | | JT Thor personal foul (Daniel Gafford draws the foul) | ||
| 5:08 | | Danilo Gallinari misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:04 | | Theo Maledon defensive rebound | ||
| 4:55 | | JT Thor misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:54 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 4:39 | | Kyle Kuzma misses two point driving layup | ||
| 4:36 | | Mark Williams defensive rebound | ||
| 4:28 | | +2 | Gordon Hayward makes two point reverse layup (Brandon Miller assists) | 11-17 |
| 4:28 | | Jordan Poole shooting foul (Gordon Hayward draws the foul) | ||
| 4:28 | | Gordon Hayward misses regular free throw 1 of 1 | ||
| 4:24 | | Mark Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 4:15 | | Gordon Hayward misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:12 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 4:03 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point driving layup | 11-19 |
| 3:44 | | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point cutting dunk (Theo Maledon assists) | 13-19 |
| 3:27 | | Jordan Poole misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:25 | | Gordon Hayward defensive rebound | ||
| 3:10 | | +2 | Gordon Hayward makes two point driving floating jump shot (Mark Williams assists) | 15-19 |
| 3:10 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:55 | | Delon Wright misses three point jump shot | ||
| 2:53 | | Nick Richards defensive rebound | ||
| 2:41 | | Nick Richards turnover (lost ball) | ||
| 2:30 | | Nick Richards blocks Corey Kispert's two point driving layup | ||
| 2:28 | | Bryce McGowens defensive rebound | ||
| 2:23 | | +2 | Nick Richards makes two point dunk (P.J. Washington assists) | 17-19 |
| 2:03 | | +2 | Corey Kispert makes two point driving layup | 17-21 |
| 1:45 | | Theo Maledon misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:41 | | P.J. Washington offensive rebound | ||
| 1:41 | | +2 | P.J. Washington makes two point putback layup | 19-21 |
| 1:30 | | Danilo Gallinari misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:27 | | Theo Maledon defensive rebound | ||
| 1:19 | | P.J. Washington misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:17 | | Nick Richards offensive rebound | ||
| 1:17 | | Delon Wright shooting foul (Nick Richards draws the foul) | ||
| 1:17 | | Nick Richards misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 1:17 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 1:17 | | +1 | Nick Richards makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 20-21 |
| 1:05 | | +3 | Corey Kispert makes three point jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 20-24 |
| 0:49 | | P.J. Washington misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:47 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 0:38 | | Deni Avdija turnover (lost ball) (Theo Maledon steals) | ||
| 0:35 | | +2 | Theo Maledon makes two point running finger roll layup | 22-24 |
| 0:15 | | +3 | Bilal Coulibaly makes three point jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 22-27 |
| 0:00 | | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 0:00 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:52 | | Bilal Coulibaly turnover (bad pass) (Brandon Miller steals) | ||
| 11:50 | | Delon Wright shooting foul (Nick Richards draws the foul) | ||
| 11:50 | | +1 | Nick Richards makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 23-27 |
| 11:50 | | Nick Richards misses regular free throw 2 of 2 | ||
| 11:49 | | Corey Kispert defensive rebound | ||
| 11:34 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point driving layup | 23-29 |
| 11:23 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:19 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 11:08 | | Delon Wright misses three point jump shot | ||
| 11:05 | | Nick Richards defensive rebound | ||
| 11:01 | | P.J. Washington misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:57 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 10:50 | | Bilal Coulibaly misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:47 | | Danilo Gallinari offensive rebound | ||
| 10:43 | | +3 | Danilo Gallinari makes three point pullup jump shot | 23-32 |
| 10:31 | | Deni Avdija personal foul (P.J. Washington draws the foul) | ||
| 10:23 | | +2 | Nick Richards makes two point alley-oop dunk (LaMelo Ball assists) | 25-32 |
| 10:13 | | LaMelo Ball shooting foul (Delon Wright draws the foul) | ||
| 10:13 | | +1 | Delon Wright makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-33 |
| 10:13 | | +1 | Delon Wright makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-34 |
| 10:02 | | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 10:00 | | Bilal Coulibaly defensive rebound | ||
| 9:58 | | Bryce McGowens shooting foul (Bilal Coulibaly draws the foul) | ||
| 9:58 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 25-35 |
| 9:58 | | +1 | Bilal Coulibaly makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 25-36 |
| 9:42 | | +2 | Brandon Miller makes two point jump shot (Bryce McGowens assists) | 27-36 |
| 9:27 | | +2 | Danilo Gallinari makes two point pullup jump shot (Delon Wright assists) | 27-38 |
| 9:14 | | Landry Shamet shooting foul (P.J. Washington draws the foul) | ||
| 9:14 | | P.J. Washington misses regular free throw 1 of 2 | ||
| 9:14 | | Hornets offensive rebound | ||
| 9:14 | | +1 | P.J. Washington makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 28-38 |
| 9:00 | | +3 | Deni Avdija makes three point jump shot (Danilo Gallinari assists) | 28-41 |
| 8:58 | | Hornets 60 second timeout | ||
| 8:41 | | Brandon Miller misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:39 | | Delon Wright defensive rebound | ||
| 8:25 | | Landry Shamet misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:22 | | Deni Avdija offensive rebound | ||
| 8:20 | | Deni Avdija misses two point layup | ||
| 8:20 | | Bryce McGowens defensive rebound | ||
| 8:11 | | LaMelo Ball misses two point driving layup | ||
| 8:06 | | LaMelo Ball offensive rebound | ||
| 8:06 | | +2 | LaMelo Ball makes two point putback layup | 30-41 |
| 7:50 | | +2 | Deni Avdija makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Danilo Gallinari assists) | 30-43 |
| 7:39 | | Brandon Miller misses two point driving layup | ||
| 7:39 | | Wizards defensive rebound | ||
| 7:39 | | Brandon Miller personal foul (Loose ball) (Danilo Gallinari draws the foul) | ||
| 7:31 | | +2 | Landry Shamet makes two point driving layup (Delon Wright assists) | 30-45 |
| 7:31 | | Brandon Miller shooting foul (Landry Shamet draws the foul) | ||
| 7:31 | | +1 | Landry Shamet makes regular free throw 1 of 1 | 30-46 |
| 7:13 | | +2 | Nick Richards makes two point cutting layup (Gordon Hayward assists) | 32-46 |
| 6:56 | | Nick Richards personal foul (Danilo Gallinari draws the foul) | ||
| 6:56 | | +1 | Danilo Gallinari makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-47 |
| 6:56 | | +1 | Danilo Gallinari makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 32-48 |
| 6:40 | | Brandon Miller misses two point driving layup | ||
| 6:36 | | Mark Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 6:36 | | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point tip layup | 34-48 |
| 6:33 | | Jordan Poole offensive foul (Brandon Miller draws the foul) | ||
| 6:33 | | Jordan Poole turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 6:18 | | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point layup (JT Thor assists) | 36-48 |
| 6:02 | | Gordon Hayward blocks Daniel Gafford's two point layup | ||
| 5:58 | | P.J. Washington defensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | Theo Maledon misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 5:52 | | Mark Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 5:52 | | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point dunk | 38-48 |
| 5:52 | | Wizards 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:39 | | +2 | Tyus Jones makes two point driving floating jump shot (Jordan Poole assists) | 38-50 |
| 5:18 | | +2 | Gordon Hayward makes two point jump shot (P.J. Washington assists) | 40-50 |
| 5:07 | | Landry Shamet misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 5:04 | | Theo Maledon defensive rebound | ||
| 4:59 | | Tyus Jones personal foul (Gordon Hayward draws the foul) | ||
| 4:48 | | +2 | Mark Williams makes two point dunk (Theo Maledon assists) | 42-50 |
| 4:33 | | Kyle Kuzma turnover (traveling) | ||
| 4:24 | | Gordon Hayward misses two point turnaround jump shot | ||
| 4:22 | | Mark Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 4:18 | | Landry Shamet kicked ball violation | ||
| 4:08 | | Daniel Gafford blocks JT Thor's two point driving layup | ||
| 4:04 | | Mark Williams offensive rebound | ||
| 4:04 | | Daniel Gafford blocks Mark Williams's two point layup | ||
| 4:01 | | Kyle Kuzma defensive rebound | ||
| 3:56 | | +2 |