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Wizards outlast Hornets in double OT

Mar 28, 2015 - 4:43 AM Washington, DC (SportsNetwork.com) - John Wall scored 32 points with nine rebounds and six assists to help the Washington Wizards snap their four-game losing streak with a 110-107 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in double overtime.

Bradley Beal had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists for the Wizards, while Drew Gooden and Rasual Butler chipped in with 15 and 10 points, respectively, off the bench. Gooden pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds.

Al Jefferson tallied 31 points with 10 rebounds and Mo Williams registered 26 points with 10 assists off the bench for Charlotte, which has dropped three straight and six of its last seven.

"It's a tough loss," said Jefferson. "It's going to haunt us into the summer."

Butler gave Washington a 101-99 lead with a minute left in the first overtime before Williams tied it with a jumper. Beal, Gooden and Wall all missed attempts on Washington's ensuing possession, then Kemba Walker's floater at the buzzer was no good as the game extended an extra five minutes.

The back-and-forth affair continued in the second overtime, with Wall giving the Wizards a 108-105 edge on a 3-pointer with 2:22 left. Jefferson knocked down a jumper to help the Hornets pull within one, but they would not score the rest of the way.

Wall converted a jumper with 9.9 ticks on the clock to extend the margin to three. Williams missed a 3-pointer prior to Jefferson grabbing the rebound and getting fouled by Wall with 3.9 seconds left. Out of a timeout, Jefferson missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer as Washington held on.

"The group I thought that kind of closed out the game gave us unbelievable effort," Wizards coach Randy Wittman said.

The Wizards stifled Charlotte for a majority of the fourth quarter, holding the Hornets without a field goal until there was 3:48 left in regulation. In the meantime, Washington turned a four-point deficit entering the fourth into a six-point advantage. Ramon Sessions' layup capped a 13-3 run for an 88-82 edge, but Charlotte countered with a 9-0 burst to regain the lead.

Marcin Gortat worked down low to quell the surge by tipping in a Gooden miss, cutting the deficit to 91-90. Following Wall's fifth turnover of the game, Jefferson converted a layup to extend the lead back to three with 57.9 seconds remaining in the fourth.

Wall committed another turnover with 20 seconds left and Walker netted both free throws to put Charlotte up four. Butler then buried a 3-pointer to trim the deficit to one with 11.8 seconds left.

After Jeffrey Taylor split two free throws, Wall made amends for the earlier turnovers by tying the game at 96-96 with a jumper. Williams' trey at the buzzer was off the mark as the game headed to overtime.

Washington ended the final 3:44 of the first quarter on a 10-2 spurt to grab a 28-19 lead after 12 minutes. Jefferson's jumper with over a minute left trimmed the Hornets' deficit to three, but Beal responded with a 3 and the Wizards led 59-54 at halftime.

The Hornets came out strong to begin the second half. Jefferson scored seven straight during a 14-2 run to open the third for the visitors. That opening surge helped Charlotte take a 79-75 lead into the fourth.

Game Notes

The Wizards have won two straight in the series after a five-game losing streak ... Washington played in its second double overtime game this season, the first a loss to Boston on Dec. 8 ... Gortat pulled down 16 rebounds in the win, while Gerald Henderson had a career-high 14 rebounds for Charlotte ... There were 14 ties and eight lead changes.