| |
RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Elden Campbell missed eight of his first 11
shots from the floor, then made amends with the game on the line.
Campbell's 18-foot turnaround jumper over Juwan Howard as time
expired capped a wild finish and lifted the Charlotte Hornets over
the Washington Wizards 107-105 Monday night.
|  | | Charlotte's Elden Campbell hits the game-winning jumper over the Wizards' Aaron Williams. |
"The play was designed for (Eddie Jones) first and Elden second
because we knew that we would be able to get the ball inside to
Elden," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "After (Campbell) set the
pick, we thought they would switch a smaller man on him and he
would get a better look. But they didn't do that and Elden hit a
tough shot."
Jones scored 26 points and David Wesley had 21 for the Hornets,
who swept the three-game season series from the Wizards. Charlotte
has won two straight games and nine of 11.
Mitch Richmond had 21 points and reserve Richard Hamilton 19 for
the Wizards, who had won 8 of their last 11.
"It's happened so many times to us this year ... and it still
happened again," Hamilton said after the Wizards' fourth
last-second loss this season.
The game was tied at 103 when Hamilton missed a pair of free
throws with 59.6 seconds left. Charlotte missed two shots on the
ensuing possession, but gained two clock resets on a pair of key
rebounds before Anthony Mason hit a 10-footer with 2.8 seconds left
for a 105-103 lead.
Wizards coach Darrell Walker accepted Campbell's game-winning
shot, but not his team's lack of rebounding on the Hornets'
next-to-last possession, where one rebound could have sealed a
victory.
"We didn't box out and put a body on someone because we were
afraid of contact," Walker said. "That can happen once, but it
can't happen two and three times if you expect to win the
basketball game."
Mason finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
Charlotte's Derrick Coleman, who had 16 points and 16 rebounds,
fouled Washington's Mitch Richmond on the ensuing in-bounds play
and Richmond hit both free throws, tying the game at 105 and
setting up Campbell's game-winner off Wesley's in-bounds feed.
"You don't even have a chance to think about it," said
Campbell, who scored 15 points. "You just turn and let your muscle
memory make sure you get a good shot up. Just shoot it like you
shoot it every day."
Chris Whitney had 14 points and 10 assists for the Wizards, but
spent much of the fourth quarter on the bench after drawing his
fifth foul.
Charlotte led 30-25 lead after one quarter and 55-49 at
halftime.
Whitney's 3-pointer, in the midst of a 10-2 spurt, gave
Washington its first lead with 8:24 left in the third quarter.
Coleman's short baseline jumper restored Charlotte's lead at
72-71 with 2:20 remaining in the third. After Jones' fadeaway shot
from the left corner gave the Hornets an 83-79 lead 2:08 into the
fourth quarter, Washington went on a 10-2 run.
Game notes
When Whitney was bumped hard by Jones near the Wizards'
bench midway through the first period, he spun around and landed in
a chair just in time for the game's first television timeout. ...
The Wizards are 5-5 when Whitney starts. .. Charlotte is 26-19
lifetime against Washington. ... Hamilton had a career-high seven
assists. Whitney fell one assist short of tying a career high.
| |
ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Charlotte Clubhouse
Washington Clubhouse
RECAPS
Boston 99
Atlanta 94
Philadelphia 96
Miami 80
Toronto 112
Cleveland 103
Charlotte 107
Washington 105
Milwaukee 104
Orlando 87
Minnesota 102
Detroit 100
New York 83
Indiana 81
LA Lakers 106
Seattle 103
Portland 90
Utah 86
|
