Charlotte Hornets (3-1) beat Washington Wizards (2-2) 110-103 at home on Monday, October 26.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Wizards struck first, taking the opening quarter 21-19 and a 2-point lead after one. The Hornets moved in front with a 35-23 second quarter, carrying a 10-point lead into halftime.
The Hornets won the third 26-24 to create some separation, taking a 12-point lead into the fourth. The Wizards took the fourth 35-30; the Hornets held on for a 110-103 regulation win.
What decided it
The Hornets grabbed 39.2% of their own misses, while the Wizards recovered 22.7%. The Hornets took better care of the ball, turning it over on 11.5% of possessions compared with 14.6% for the Wizards. The second chances kept adding up.
The Wizards did win one battle, shooting: eFG% of 53.5% against 49.5%. The Hornets made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 96 possessions per team, the Hornets produced 115.1 points per 100 possessions to 107.8 for the Wizards.
Who made the difference
Brandon Miller was the game's biggest individual force for CHA: 39 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 3 stl on 15-28 shooting. His Game Score of 29.5 led everyone. His team was +16 with him on the floor.
Anthony Davis led the Wizards with 29 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast on 11-22 shooting, good for a 21.2 Game Score.
Naz Reid (18 pts, 12 reb, 1 ast), Moussa Diabate (11 pts, 17 reb, 3 ast), and Anthony Davis (29 pts, 10 reb, 0 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The result fit the pre-game Win Meter, which gave the Hornets about a 89% chance.
Across the last 8 meetings in our records, the series is even.
The Hornets are now 3-1, and the Wizards are 2-2. The Hornets last five before this game: W-L-W-L-W.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.