Wizards 'Weren't Playing Around' in Second Half of Win Over Hornets

After a less than stellar first half, the Washington Wizards turned it up in the second, and ran away with a win over the Charlotte Hornets.

The Washington Wizards snapped a three-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 118-104 win over the Charlotte Hornets. 

In the win, forward Kristaps Porzingis led the Wizards with 36 points in 35 minutes. 

Forward Deni Avdija led Washington in minutes and turned in 20 points on three of five shooting from three-point range, and 13 rebounds. 

A solid game for the duo, and a good win for the team that had been spiraling without guard Bradley Beal and forward Kyle Kuzma on the court.

"It felt like we were playing around a little bit in the beginning, and we weren't as aggressive," Avdija said after the win. "(In the second half) we came aggressive, we played together and we weren't playing around. And I feel like that's how we need to approach every game."

The Wizards and Hornets were tied at 61 a piece when they entered the locker rooms for halftime. 

But when they came out, it was Porzingis who put Washington on his shoulders leading the way with 18 points in the third quarter alone. 

Charlotte, meanwhile, scored 15 as a team.

"I hit the last three before the half, and I had the feeling that I was going to get it going in the second half," Porzingis said of the third-quarter outburst. "(Charlotte is) the type of team that plays a little chaotic, but they give up some threes. So I had decent looks in the first half. I knew second half they're going to be there, and that's it, I just had that mindset that, 'I'm making those'."

The Wizards carried a 12-point lead into the fourth quarter before eventually walking away with the 14-point win. 

It's a good way to break the losing streak and a solid finish to the season series against the Hornets, winning three of the four contests this year. 

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82

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