Washington Wizards Dominated on Glass, Drop Road Game vs. Hornets

Days after securing a win in the first road game of the 2026-27 regular season, the Washington Wizards were outmatched on Monday night after falling, 110-103, against the Charlotte Hornets.

Anthony Davis recorded his second double-double in a Wizards uniform after posting a team-high 29 points and ten rebounds, while shooting 50% from the floor. Trae Young also shot 50% from the floor as he added 22 points and ten assists, already his third double-double of the season. Kyshawn George added 20 points while Alex Sarr recorded 12 points, but it was the Hornets who filled up the stat book.

Brandon Miller posted a game-high 39 points on 53.6% shooting, while Moussa Diabate tallied 11 points and 17 rebounds. Nah Reid also added 18 points and 12 rebounds, a big reason why the Hornets out-rebounded the Wizards by 13 in the  loss. The Hornets also shot 32% from three in the first half with Washington knocking down just one of the eight three point attempts, marking a concerning stat for a team that made defense a focus ahead of the regular season.

The Wizards were dealt an early dose of adversity after Justin Champagnie had to be helped off the court in the closing minutes of the first quarter, leading Bilal Coulibaly to replace him in the lineup. The broadcast noted that Champagnie was ruled out for the remainder of the game due to a right foot injury.

Still, Washington was able to cling to a two point lead heading into the second quarter with Kyshawn George responsible for one-third of the team's points, though the foul trouble resurfaced after picking up his second foul in the closing seconds of the first.

Yet the turnovers would allow Charlotte to regain momentum in the second quarter after Will Riley's attempted pass to Bub Carrington allowed the Hornets to build a six point lead, the largest between either team. That proved to foreshadow the rest of the first half after Charlotte won the battle on the boards, 30-19, and was able to turn it into 19 second chance points.

After trailing by ten at halftime, the Wizards answered with a 9-2 run in the opening minutes of the second half to make it a one possession game again, but the Hornets were able to control the boards the rest of the way to rebuild its healthy lead before grabbing a double digit lead for the first time in the final minute of the third quarter.

Washington was able to make it a three-point game with 73 seconds left after Trae Young hit a floater, but it never narrowed any more than that with the Hornets making it a two possession game on the ensuing possession inside the game's final minute.

The Wizards will stay on the road for the third consecutive game away from Capital One Arena when they face the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.