Kyle Kuzma, strong bench play help Wizards snap 4-game losing streak with 132-116 rout of Hornets

By STEVE REED

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) Kyle Kuzma scored 33 points and the Washington Wizards made 18 3-pointers to beat the Charlotte Hornets 132-116 on Wednesday night and snap a four-game losing streak.

Danilo Gallinari and Delon Wright each added 18 points and Landry Shamet had 15 as Washington’s reserves outscored Charlotte’s 72-23.

LaMelo Ball, coming off a 30-point triple-double in a loss to Dallas, had a season-high 34 points for the Hornets. Gordon Hayward added 18 points for Charlotte. Brandon Miller, the No. 2 overall pick this year, had 13 points in his first home start.

Both teams are 2-5.

The Hornets led 29-24 after the first quarter, but things quickly fell apart. The Wizards opened the second quarter with a decisive 34-9 run and took a 65-46 lead at halftime behind 20 points from Kuzma.

The Hornets would rally to cut the lead to eight in the third quarter behind Hayward, who took over with aggressive drives and jumpers. But the Wizards would quickly push the lead back to 22 behind 3s from Gallinari and Corey Kispert and a driving two-handed dunk by Shamet over Ball.

The Hornets remain short-handed with Terry Rozier and Cody Martin out with injuries and Miles Bridges still serving a 10-game suspension.

UP NEXT

The teams will meet again Friday night in Washington in an NBA In-Season Tournament game.

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