The Charlotte Hornets defeated the Washington Wizards, 124-117, at Capital Arena on Friday in Group play of the In-Season Tournament.

The Hornets (3-5) had to come from behind to secure an impressive win over the Wizards (2-6) on the road. With the win, the Hornets are now 1-0 in the In-Season Tournament, while the Wizards fell to 0-2. However, Washington looked like the better team early on and jumped to a 27-22 lead in the first quarter. The Wizards didn’t step their foot off the gas in the second quarter and bolstered their lead even further following a 36-35 score just before halftime. The Wizards extended the advantage in the third quarter and entered the final 12 minutes of play up by nine points. It seems the Wizards had enough in them to close things out, but that was not the case. The Hornets looked impressive in the fourth quarter and flipped the script entirely. A 36-20 score in the final 12 minutes allowed the Hornets to escape with a comeback win over Washington.

LaMelo Ball was the best player for the Hornets after putting up 25 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Mark Williams impressed at both ends and finished with 15 points and 18 rebounds. Gordon Hayward recorded 22 points, eight assists, four steals and four rebounds. Brandon Miller chipped in with 12 points. P.J. Washington contributed nine points, eight rebounds and four assists. Nick Richards delivered 15 points.

Kyle Kuzma was the leading scorer for the Wizards with 15 points and six rebounds. Corey Kispert also ended as one of Washington’s top scorers with 15 points, though he came off the bench. Jordan Poole posted 14 points and six assists but shot 6-for-13 from the field. Tyus Jones had 14 points, four rebounds and four assists. Daniel Gafford ended with 10 points and eight rebounds while adding four blocks.