Wizards punch ticket to playoffs
los angeles — John Wall made a successful return with a 15 point and 14 assist performance as the Washington Wizards defeated the Charlotte Hornets 107-93 on Saturday to book their spot in the NBA playoffs.
All-star Wall was appearing his first game in two months for the Wizards who clinched their fourth playoff berth in the last five seasons.
“We don’t know who we play and we really don’t care who we play. We just want to play well going into the playoffs,” coach Scott Brooks said.
Otto Porter tallied 26 points and 11 rebounds and Bradley Beal nailed six of eight shots from beyond the arc as the Wizards hit a franchise-record tieing 18 three pointers.
Wall last played in January when the American had left knee surgery. His impact was immediate as he made a three pointer on his first shot of the game and finished with 33 minutes of playing time.
“It was good to see my first shot go in,” Wall said.
Washington had lost four of the last five without Wall to drop into sixth place in the Eastern Conference, heading into the Hornets’ matchup.
Wall had averaged 19.4 points and 9.3 assists in 37 games before the injury. “That Ferrari is pretty good,” Brooks said referring to Wall. “He got a lot of open shots for a lot of players. That’s what he does at the highest level in the league.”
The Hornets, who have now lost two straight, were led by Dwight Howard with 22 points.
“I just think turnovers killed us,” said Howard, who declined to give Wall credit. —