Wizards Fall to LaMelo Ball's Hornets in Defensive Disaster

The Washington Wizards' own productive scoring was overshadowed by the stars of the Charlotte Hornets.

Feb 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) takes a shot over Washington Wizards guard Sharife Cooper (13) during the first half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

LaMelo Ball has to love seeing the Washington Wizards approach on his Charlotte Hornets' schedule. He revealed his comfort in D.C. with 37 points on 10 made threes in spearheading yet another 129-112 win in enemy territory, adding to a consistent streak of excellence for the usually-inconsistent All-Star.

He's averaged 25.4 points against the Wizards over the course of his six-year career, several noticeable ticks above his career postings, and it was only a matter of time before Ball broke out against one of his favorite punching bags following a pair of quieter earlier-season outings that fell short of his high standard.

Fifteen of his 20 shots arrived from beyond the arc, and that long-range efficiency, coupled with his eight assists and seven rebounds, made for just the latest of his pillaging from the comfort of the Wizards' own home arena.

Feb 11, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (1) reacts to his three point basket during the second half against the Atlanta Hawks at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

He was far from the only Hornet to ransack Washington, as Rookie of the Year contender Kon Knueppel walked away with 28 points of his own while Brandon Miller scored 22. Charlotte as a team shot 54.3% from the field and 49.4% from 3-point land, numbers that can be attributed just as much to their strong offense as they can be drawn back to the Wizards' shoddy defense.

Their lack of stopping prowess has prevailed as a storyline all season, but their pick-and-roll defense led directly to Ball's unleashing of the Hornets' offense. He had all of the space to shoot and pass whenever and wherever he wanted with unimaginably little resistance, and the Wizards knew it.

"Communication," Wizards head coach Brian Keefe said when questioned about the poor defensive coordination around the court's perimeter. "They have some movement, they do some stuff that's interesting where they slip people out and then are screening...give them credit, but just communication issues."

This needed addressing, and I asked Coach Keefe postgame about why the Wizards struggled so much in LaMelo-based screen actions. His response wasn’t overly shocking, but this sounds like a young team struggling to get on the same page https://t.co/8hvSn0H8mJ pic.twitter.com/f3wICdRWjf

— Henry J. Brown (@henryjbr_sports) February 23, 2026

Overshadowing the Wizards' Own Offensive Showing

Had the outside defense not been quite so ineffective, this would have been remembered as what the fan base may call a strong "tank loss." They fought hard (enough) and used the occasion to see what their prospects had to show for themselves against NBA competition, and still walked away with a loss to aid their campaign of strengthening their own draft odds.

Perhaps no Wizard took advantage of the opportunity quite like Bilal Coulibaly, who rattled off one of the best offensive performances of his young career to the tune of 17 points on merely nine shots. The athletic wing, who defenses are usually willing to dare to shoot, was exquisite from behind the arc, collecting each of the squad's first 11 points for himself.

After missing his first 3-pointer badly, Bilal has made three in a row from downtown as Grant Williams is sagging way off him. pic.twitter.com/2m2UQIaFMI

— Wizards Film Room (@KevinFolliNBA) February 22, 2026

When he wasn't pulling up from outside, he could be trusted, at least, for the night, to charge towards the rim and put the pressure on defenses to convene atop of him at the expense of leaving teammates open. Unfortunately, nary a soul came close to that level of impact, resulting in a steep decline for the young rebuilders.

Usual scoring staples Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson each turned in relatively quiet, albeit efficient outings, but new Wizard Jaden Hardy continued unfurling his own upside during garbage time. The recently-acquired trade asset enjoyed his biggest game in D.C., reaching 16 points on four made threes in advocating for himself as one of the group's release-valve play-finishers once everyone's back, healthy and ready to compete next season, a rare short-term bright spot in what was otherwise a roll-over of a defeat.

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