WASHINGTON — — Jordan Poole scored 27 points and Malcolm Brogdon added 25 in his return from injury as the Washington Wizards beat the Charlotte Hornets 123-114 on Thursday night.

Rookie Alex Sarr had 19 points and nine rebounds for Washington, which led throughout the fourth quarter. The Wizards (4-21) snapped a three-game skid in winning for just the second time in 21 games. Washington’s sluggish start follows a franchise-worst 15-67 record a season ago.

LaMelo Ball had 34 points and 13 assists for Charlotte, which lost its third straight and for the 11th time in 12 games.

Miles Bridges and Mark Williams added 16 points and eight rebounds each for the Hornets. Brandon Miller sat out with a left ankle sprain.

Takeaways

Hornets: Miller was scratched despite going through Charlotte’s morning shootaround, suggesting his return will come soon. The second-year guard had scored 20-plus points in 12 consecutive games before exiting early with 12 points against Philadelphia on Monday.

Wizards: Brogdon’s effort came after missing four games and two weeks with a hamstring strain. He has been arguably Washington’s most efficient player, scoring 15 or more points while playing 30 or fewer minutes in seven of his last eight games.

Key moment

Brogdon hit a 3-pointer from the left wing, then fed Sarr for another 3 on the Wizards’ next possession to stretch the lead to a game-high 12 points with 1:29 left.

Key stat

Ball finished 3 of 18 from 3-point range, a 16.7% mark that was his second-worst performance beyond the arc this season. That lowered his season percentage more than a point, from 35.7% to 34.6%

Up next

The Hornets visit Philadelphia on Friday, and the Wizards play in Milwaukee on Saturday.

——

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba