The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Washington Wizards, 117-116, at Spectrum Center on Friday.

The Hornets (7-15) remain one of the worst teams in the Eastern Conference, but they got the job done here and escaped with a one-point win over the Wizards (11-12) in front of their own fans. Charlotte looked good as soon as the game started and jumped out to a 36-31 lead in the first quarter, but they would pull away for the good with a 38-28 score in the second quarter. Leading by 15 points should’ve been enough for the Hornets to cruise their way the rest of the game, and the difference was even bigger after the third quarter when Charlotte outscored their rivals by a 33-29 score. However, the Wizards tightened things up in the final 12 minutes, limiting the Hornets to 10 points and outscoring them by a 28-10 score. However, they fell just short of mounting the comeback. The final 2:30 minutes of the game were scoreless and the Wizards could’ve won it, but Daniel Gafford, Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis all missed what would’ve been the game-winning shot.

Terry Rozier was the best player for the Hornets in this game with a 25-point performance that included eight assists, five rebounds and two steals, while Kelly Oubre Jr. delivered 22 points, two boards, two dimes and two steals. P.J. Washington recorded 21 points, five assists and three rebounds, while Mason Plumlee posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards to go along with three assists. Nick Richards had 12 points off the bench.

Bradley Beal had 33 points to lead the Wizards, and he also added seven assists and six rebounds. Kristaps Porzingis had a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double, and Kyle Kuzma delivered 14 points, four rebounds and three assists to go along with one block. Monte Morris notched 12 points, six rebounds and six assists. Corey Kispert had 14 points off the bench, and Daniel Gafford recorded a double-double of 10 points and 12 rebounds.