LaMelo Ball scores 23, Hornets use strong fourth quarter to pull away from Wizards 126-109

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — LaMelo Ball had 23 points and nine assists, Brandon Miller added 20 points and the Charlotte Hornets pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Washington Wizards 126-109 on Tuesday night.

Rookie of the Year candidate Kon Knueppel finished with 19 points and provided a huge spark with five second-half 3-pointers for the Hornets. Moussa Diabate had a career-high 18 rebounds and 12 points for the Hornets and Miles Bridges flirted with a triple-double before finishing with 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Khris Middleton scored 16 points to lead the Wizards.

Charlotte entered the fourth quarter up 92-90, but used a 12-4 run — sparked by seven points from Ball — to begin to pull away.

Miller's 3 from the top of the key pushed the lead to double digits with 5 minutes remaining and Knueppel buried three more 3s to give the Hornets breathing room.

In Charlotte's last game, Knueppel became the fastest rookie to reach 100 3-pointers. He missed both 3-point attempts in the first half, but connected on 5 of 7 from beyond the arc after halftime.

The Hornets outscored the Wizards 34-19 in the fourth quarter and made 20 of 50 3s for the game.

The Wizards led by 10 in the first half, but the Hornets climbed back to within 65-62 at the break behind Diabate, who was dominant on the glass with 13 rebounds before the break. Diabate, who saw increased playing time with centers Ryan Kalkbrenner and Miles Plumlee out with injuries, had one possession where he grabbed back-to-back offensive rebounds giving Charlotte three shots on the possession and ultimately leading to Sion James' layup.

Washington's Bub Carrington was helped to the locker room with 5 1/2 minutes left in the game with what appeared to be a lower-leg injury.

Washington: Hosts Toronto on Friday night.

Charlotte: At Orlando on Friday night.

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Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) drives to the basket against Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Washington Wizards forward Marvin Bagley III (35) high-fives forward Corey Kispert after scoring against the Charlotte Hornets during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun, left, drives to the basket against Washington Wizards center Alex Sarr (20) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets guard Kon Knueppel, left, drives against Washington Wizards guard Bilal Coulibaly (0) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton (8) passes behind him during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in Charlotte, N.C., Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sean Johnson, a backup U.S. goalkeeper at the 2022 World Cup, signed a 1 1/2-year contract with Major League Soccer's D.C. United on Tuesday that runs through June 2027.

Johnson, 36, has made 13 international appearances, the last at the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

He has played in MLS for Chicago (2010-16), New York City (2017-22) and Toronto (2023-25), helping NYCFC win the 2021 MLS title.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

FILE - United States' Yunus Musah, right, Aaron Long, center, and United States' goalkeeper Sean Johnson celebrate after defeating Iran in the World Cup group B soccer match between Iran and the United States at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)