Batum double-doubles as Hornets down Wizards

Charlotte Hornets’ Nicolas Batum (5) prepares to dunk as he beats a host of Washington Wizards to the basket. AP

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — Nicolas Batum had 26 points and 11 rebounds, and the Charlotte Hornets rallied in the second half to beat the Washington Wizards 108-104 on Saturday (Sunday Manila time).

Kemba Walker added 23 points, Marvin Williams also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, and Spencer Hawes scored 14 points for the Hornets, who trailed by as many as 19 points in the second quarter.

John Wall scored 23 points, Bradley Beal had 22 and Otto Porter Jr. 20 for the Wizards, who led 58-48 at the half and were up by 12 points early in the third quarter.

Washington led 64-52 with 8:44 left in the quarter, but Charlotte went on to outscore the Wizards 26-11 over the rest of the period for a 78-75 lead. The Wizards rallied in the fourth quarter, swapping the lead four times with the Hornets before Walker’s layup with 2:13 remaining put the Hornets ahead to stay.