Beal, Bryant rally Wizards to 125-118 win over Hornets

Bradley Beal had 30 points and 12 assists, Thomas Bryant added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the Washington Wizards overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 125-118 victory over the Charlotte Hornets

Bradley Beal had 30 points and 12 assists, Thomas Bryant added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and the Washington Wizards overcame a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter for a 125-118 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night.

Davis Bertans added 20 points off the bench, hitting six 3-pointers to help the Wizards win two in a row for the first time this season. Jordan McCrae scored eight of his 13 in the fourth, including a baseline 3 that put Washington in front for good.

Beal extended his career-best streak of scoring 30 or more points to five games as the Wizards snapped a three-game skid against the Hornets.

Miles Bridges scored a career-high 31 for Charlotte, which has now lost at least three in a row for a third time this season.

Devonte Graham, Terry Rozier and Malik Monk each added 19 points for the Hornets, who were on pace for their highest-scoring performance of the season until a 22-point fourth quarter.

Down 13 early in the fourth after Charlotte’s 11-2 run, Washington replied with 11 straight points and ultimately outscored the Hornets 29-9 down the stretch.

Bertans hit his final 3 of the game off Beal’s feed to close the margin to four. Beal followed by driving the lane to get to the foul line, sinking a pair of free throws to make it 109-107 with 6:13 left.

Several possessions later, Bertans spotted McCrae for a baseline 3 to put Washington up 116-114. And it was McCrae’s contested runner that essentially sealed the victory several possessions later, making it 122-116 with 29 seconds remaining.

TIP-INS

Hornets: Went 8 for 15 (53%) from 3-point range in the first half. … Despite being 16 games into the season, this was Charlotte’s first against a fellow team from the Southeast Division.

Wizards: Coach Scott Brooks played a starting five of Beal, Bryant, Troy Brown Jr., Rui Hachimura and Isaiah Thomas for the sixth time, his most-used combination this season. … Moritz Wagner’s buzzer-beating 3 pulled Washington to 34-33 at the end of the first quarter. … Bertans tied a career high by making six 3-pointers in a game for the fourth time.

UP NEXT

Hornets: Host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.

Wizards: Host the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

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