The Charlotte Hornets (22 - 27) defeated the Washington Wizards (31 - 20) for the second time this week, winning 94 - 87 on Thursday. They say that familiarity breeds contempt, and though these two teams had n't met this season until Monday, two games in a span of four days caused things to get chippy Thursday at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. The game was physical throughout, most notably when John Wall knocked Brian Roberts to the floor on a hard screen in the first half. Tensions boiled over in the fourth when Cody Zeller and Nene Hilario got tangled up, drawing a double technical. The Wizards recent free fall continued and to make things worse, Bradley Beal left the game after 11 minutes with a toe injury. Washington has now dropped five in a row, including two this week to Charlotte. The Wizards got another great showing from John Wall, who finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds while Paul Pierce led the team in scoring with 19 points. Washington's losing streak has caused it to lose ground in the East and is at risk of being tied by Cleveland depending on how the Cavaliers' game ends later Thursday evening. The Wizards will look to snap their losing streak Saturday when they host the Nets. Charlotte is quietly one of the hottest teams in the East right now, having won three in a row and seven of its last ten. Brian Roberts was able to return to the game after being shaken up on the aforementioned pick by Wall and finished with 12 points. Even in Bismack Biyombo's absence, the Hornets were able to out - rebound the Wizards 50 - 37. The Hornets will return to action Saturday in Philadelphia.
["TeamStat(G,'Hornets') has 27 Losses ,has 94 Total points ,has 50 Rebounds ,has 22 Wins ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Wizards') has 20 Losses ,has 87 Total points ,has 37 Rebounds ,has 31 Wins ."]