Charlotte, NC – Ramon Sessions netted a game-high 21 points and pulled down five rebounds as the Charlotte Bobcats downed the Washington Wizards, 92-76, Tuesday at Time Warner Cable Arena.
Kemba Walker poured in 17 points and No. 2 overall draft pick Michael Kidd- Gilchrist contributed 15 points and eight boards for Charlotte, which snapped a five-game skid against Washington. Tyrus Thomas donated 10 points in a winning cause.
"Any time you can get any kind of winning streak in this league is a step in the right direction," Sessions said. "We knew sitting in the locker room that we should come out and get this one. That's what good teams do."
Washington's Trevor Ariza scored a team-high 19 points to go with six rebounds. He was the only player to score in double figures for the Wizards, who fell to 0-6 for the second consecutive season. Emeka Okafor added eight points and nine boards in the setback.
"Today we weren't focused, we just came in lackadaisical," Washington's Bradley Beal remarked. "We just didn't come out with an edge like we usually do."
Washington got off to a hot start, netting the first seven points of the game before the Bobcats answered with a 13-2 run to take a four-point lead with just over six minutes to play in the first quarter.
With the game tied at 31 early in the second quarter, the Bobcats began to put distance between themselves and Washington, using a 21-8 run to take a comfortable 52-39 lead into the locker room.
Charlotte led by double digits for the majority of the third quarter before a 3-pointer by Martell Webster with 31.3 seconds on the clock cut the margin to 68-61.
Reggie Williams finished the stanza with a pair of free throws, restoring the Bobcats' advantage to nine heading to the final quarter.
Two free throws from Webster early in the fourth shaved the Bobcats' lead to 74-67, but Charlotte turned up its defense in the frame, limiting the Wizards to just 5-of-23 shooting.
The defensive intensity helped the Bobcats turn the game into a rout with a 16-2 surge, which made it a 90-69 game with 2:17 left.
Game Notes
Earlier on Tuesday, the Bobcats acquired forward Hakim Warrick from the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for guard Matt Carroll ... Bobcats center Brendan Haywood added eight points and 11 rebounds ... Washington shot just 29.8 percent from the floor and 5-for-31 from beyond the arc ... Charlotte turned 17 Wizards turnovers into 19 points.
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