Hornets Complete Season Sweep of Wizards Behind LaMelo’s Career Night
WASHINGTON — LaMelo Ball put on a shooting clinic at Capital One Arena on Sunday night, knocking down a career-high 10 three-pointers on his way to 37 points as the Charlotte Hornets cruised past the Washington Wizards 129-112. The victory gave Charlotte a four-game season sweep of Washington and was the kind of performance that underscores Ball’s continued growth as one of the league’s most dynamic offensive players. Before an announced crowd of 16,443, the Hornets controlled the contest for long stretches, and a dominant third quarter effectively put the game out of reach.
Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown
First Quarter: Charlotte Draws First Blood, 38–37
The opening period was the most competitive 12 minutes of the evening. Both teams exchanged buckets at a brisk pace, with the Wizards keeping it tight throughout. Washington trailed by just one at the end of the first, 38–37, showing early signs that they could hang in the contest. Charlotte’s offense was already operating at a high level, but Washington’s 37-point quarter suggested this was going to be a fight.
Second Quarter: Hornets Extend the Lead, 23–19
The second quarter told a different story. Charlotte’s defense tightened up and held Washington to just 19 points, while the Hornets added 23 of their own. The halftime score stood at 61–56 in favor of Charlotte — a manageable deficit for the Wizards, but one that required a strong second-half response. Washington’s inability to sustain their first-quarter efficiency was an early warning sign.
Third Quarter: Charlotte Puts the Game Away, 44–28
The third quarter was the defining stretch of the game, and it belonged entirely to the Hornets. Charlotte erupted for 44 points in the period — a stunning output — while holding Washington to just 28. LaMelo Ball was at the center of the onslaught, raining threes from all angles and making the Wizards’ defense look helpless. By the time the fourth quarter rolled around, the Hornets held a comfortable 105–84 lead, and the outcome was no longer in doubt. A 44-point quarter is the kind of stretch that turns a competitive game into a blowout, and that’s precisely what happened here.
Fourth Quarter: Garbage Time, 24–28
With the lead well in hand, Charlotte eased off the accelerator in the fourth quarter. Washington outscored the Hornets 28–24 in the final period, trimming the margin slightly, but it was nothing more than cosmetic improvement. The final score of 129–112 reflected Charlotte’s clear dominance on the night.
Key Performers
LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets — 37 PTS, 10 3PM (Career High)
There is no way to tell this story without centering it entirely on LaMelo Ball. His 10 made three-pointers set a new career high, and his 37 points were the engine that powered Charlotte’s offensive machine. Ball was relentless from beyond the arc, making shots from the logo, off the dribble, and off the catch with equal effectiveness. His ability to sustain that level of shooting over the course of a full game is a testament to both his skill and his conditioning. On a night when Charlotte needed someone to take over, Ball delivered one of the signature individual performances of his NBA career.
Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards — 17 PTS (Team Leader)
On a difficult night for the Wizards, second-year guard Bilal Coulibaly led Washington with 17 points and also topped the team’s rating metric. Coulibaly has shown flashes of real promise this season, and his ability to contribute even in a lopsided loss speaks to his competitive nature. He also finished as the team’s top-rated player on the evening, a sign that his development continues to trend in a positive direction.
Alondes Williams, Washington Wizards — 7 REB (Team Leader)
Guard Alondes Williams paced Washington on the glass with seven rebounds, a solid total that reflected the Wizards’ effort to compete in an otherwise tough evening. As a team, Washington finished with 37 rebounds on the night.
Will Riley, Washington Wizards — 4 AST (Team Leader)
Young guard Will Riley led Washington with four assists, showing some playmaking ability in a game where the Wizards as a unit finished with 24 assists on 41 made field goals.
Game Analysis
The box score tells a clear story: Charlotte was significantly better in nearly every phase of this game. The Hornets shot efficiently from three-point range as a team, and with LaMelo accounting for 10 of those makes on his own, Washington’s defense simply had no answer. Charlotte’s 44-point third quarter was the decisive swing — a 16-point outburst in a single period that turned what was a 5-point halftime lead into a 21-point cushion heading to the fourth.
Washington struggled offensively at key moments, particularly in the second and third quarters when they managed just 47 combined points. The Wizards did shoot reasonably well from three as a team, going 18-of-42 (42.9%) from beyond the arc, but their overall offensive execution in the middle two quarters could not match Charlotte’s intensity. The Hornets’ defense was the difference-maker when it mattered most.
Charlotte’s team-wide offensive production — 129 points on what was clearly a Ball-led performance — signals that the Hornets can be a genuinely dangerous team when their star is locked in. The four-game sweep of Washington also suggests a level of consistent execution against this particular opponent, though translating that dominance against stronger competition will be the real benchmark going forward.
For Washington, this loss is another data point in a difficult season. The Wizards entered the game at 16-40, and losses like this one are part of a rebuilding process that will take time. The bright spots remain the development of young players like Coulibaly and Riley, who showed enough on Sunday night to suggest the organization’s future has some legitimate building blocks.
Standings and Series Context
With the win, Charlotte completed a perfect 4-0 record against Washington this season, claiming all four meetings in convincing fashion. The Hornets have now demonstrated a clear edge over the Wizards in this matchup across the full 2025-26 campaign. For the Wizards, the loss drops them further back in the Southeast Division standings, where they continue to occupy one of the league’s lower rungs at 16-40 overall (11-19 at home, 5-21 on the road). As the season enters its final stretch, Washington’s focus will remain on player development and lottery positioning, while Charlotte can point to performances like Sunday’s — and a four-game sweep — as evidence that their rebuild is taking a meaningful step forward.
