CHARLOTTE, N.C. _ The Charlotte Hornets looked good offensively Wednesday.
They made half of their first 24 attempts from 3-point range to build a lead of as much as 28 over the Washington Wizards, and cruised to a 133-109 victory at Spectrum Center in coach Steve Clifford's return from a medical leave.
The Hornets set a franchise record for most first-half points, reaching 77 for a 16-point halftime lead. The win improved the Hornets to 18-25 as they try to climb back into playoff contention.
The game got a little odd in the closing minutes, when the Hornets' Michael Carter-Williams and Washington's Tim Frazier were both ejected with about four minutes left, resulting from a fracas. It started after Wizards reserve big man Jason Smith was called for a foul. With Carter-Williams ejected, the Wizards got to choose which Hornet would take two free throws. Naturally, the Wizards chose center Dwight Howard, a 53 percent foul shooter. However, Howard made both.
Howard finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist scored 21 points, and Kemba Walker finished with 19 points and seven assists.
Bradley Beal scored a game-high 26 points for the Wizards.
