Terry Rozier Highlights vs. Wizards – 2/12/22
Charlotte squanders nearly 22-point lead, but holds off Washington’s late comeback attempt
Three of the best quarters of the season for the Charlotte Hornets easily turned into one of their worst on Friday night, but in the end they still came out of the Spectrum Center with a 117-116 home win over the Wizards of Washington.
Terry Rozier returned from a one-game absence to lead Charlotte in points (25) and assists (eight) in the win, the team’s third straight at home. Kelly Oubre Jr. (22) and PJ Washington (21) also broke the 20-point barrier, giving the Hornets three different 20-point scorers in the same game for the second time this season.
Charlotte fought her way to a 107-88 lead through the first three quarters, thanks in large part to a +15-point differential scored on turnovers. The Wizards didn’t go easy though and started the fourth on a 25-8 run to shoot within three with four minutes left. PJ Washington’s ensuing layup stopped some of the bleeding, but Bradley Beal then scored four unanswered points to make it a one-point game 90 seconds later.
With the score still 117-116 after several empty possessions on both sides, the Wizards had another chance at a tee shot, but Oubre stripped Beal for a steal in the 35th second. After Charlotte failed to score again at the other end, Beal missed a contested elbow jumper, leading to a missed tip from Daniel Gafford and a defensive rebound from PJ Washington. Left with just 0.2 seconds on the clock, Charlotte completed the inbounds to end the game.
“That game transformed the last two and a half minutes of the third quarter,” Hornets head coach Steve Clifford said afterwards. “They got bigger and we couldn’t get a rebound. We lost our focus, lost our intensity with that band in there. And that gave them a chance, which in this league is all you need. You let your guard down, stop playing with possessions and that’s what can happen.
Rebounds and fouls have been two major issues for the Hornets in this one, especially in the fourth quarter. Washington was +11 on the glass overall – 20-10 advantage in fourth – and went 26 of 35 from the line (74.3%), with half of those marks coming in the final 12 minutes (13 of 14; 92.9%). Charlotte’s 10 points in the fourth quarter were the lowest ever in a win and the -18 differential in the fourth quarter was tied for the lowest in a win in franchise history.
Individually, Mason Plumlee doubled with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Nick Richards nearly did the same, collecting 12 points and nine rebounds off the bench. Beal had 33 points and seven assists to lead the Wizards, while Kristaps Porziņģis added 21 points, a season-high 11 rebounds and a season-high 11 free throws (7 of 7 in the fourth).
Flirting with near-disaster at the end of this game can lead to mixed feelings about how this game ultimately turned out. At the end of the day, it’s about winning in the NBA, no matter how. And if there’s one team in the league that deserves a little luck here and there, it’s the Hornets.
Rozier said: “We got the win. This is the most important thing. No matter how ugly it is, the league is all about wins and losses. We definitely have to clean up a lot of things – physical play, defensive rebounding. This is an area where we need to improve and we know it.
The Hornets will now close out their back-to-back home game against the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday, Dec. 3 starting at 6 p.m. ET. Catch all the action on Bally Sports Southeast and WFNZ FM 92.7.