Brandon Miller scores career-high 39 points as Hornets beat Wizards 110-103

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Brandon Miller scored a career-high 39 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Washington Wizards 110-103 on Monday night for their third win in four games to open the season.

Starters Coby White (left calf) and Kon Knueppel (left hamstring) and top reserve Grant Williams (right hamstring) each have yet to play this season for the Hornets, who have managed their absences well so far.

Miller scored 27 points in the middle two quarters as Charlotte took control.

The fourth-year guard topped 30 points for the 14th time in his career and scored 30 in back-to-back games for the fourth time. A 2023 first-round pick out of Alabama, Miller a week ago signed a five-year, $209 million contract extension.

Naz Reid finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Hornets, who had a seemingly comfortable 98-84 lead with 5:15 to play.

But the Wizards (2-2), who were seeking their first 3-1 start since the 2022-23 season, knocked down five 3-pointers down the stretch and got as close as 103-100 with 1:13 to play.

Miller hit a jumper and later made a free throw for his final three points to make it 106-100 with 38.3 seconds left.

Grayson Allen added 15 points and Moussa Diabate had 11 points and 17 rebounds for Charlotte.

Anthony Davis had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Trae Young scored 22 points and Kyshawn George added 20 points for Washington. Wizards forward Justin Champagnie suffered a right foot injury in the first quarter and did not return.

Washington was again without A.J. Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA draft, whose debut has been delayed by a sprained left ankle.

Davis' personal win streak against Charlotte ended. The Hornets had lost 10 straight games in which the oft-injured Davis had played against them, dating to March 2016.

Wizards: Visit Cleveland on Wednesday.

Hornets: Visit Detroit on Wednesday.

See AP’s full NBA coverage here

Washington Wizards guard Trae Young drives to the basket for a layup against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) reacts after center Naz Reid (0) made a 3-point basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Washington Wizards in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller (24) looks to shoot against the Washington Wizards during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets guard Christian Anderson Jr., top, battles Washington Wizards guard Bub Carrington for the ball during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

Charlotte Hornets forward Brandon Miller reacts after dunking against the Washington Wizards during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Charlotte, N.C., Monday, Oct. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge agreed Monday to extend an order blocking the Trump administration’s renovation plans for a century-old public golf course in the nation’s capital.

U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes issued a preliminary injunction that temporarily bars the government from removing or damaging any additional trees on the East Potomac Golf Course. The administration must give 10 days’ notice in writing before making any "irreparable modification” to any “forms or features” of the course while the lawsuit is active.

“The Court earlier stated, ‘I am not the Lorax. I do not speak for the trees.’ The Court still does not speak for the trees. It speaks only for the rule of law,” Reyes wrote.

Reyes expressed astonishment that the government has asked her to “not to believe the sitting President” and disregard Trump’s statements about his plans for the golf course renovations.

“This started as a case about golf. That good walk spoiled. But it has become much more,” Reyes wrote. “It now forces the Court to reconcile assertions by President Donald J. Trump with the sworn testimony of multiple government employees and the argument of senior Department of Justice attorneys.”

On Oct. 18, Trump announced plans on social media to close the golf course for 15 months, starting Nov. 15, and redevelop the 106-year-old park and course despite a court challenge by the D.C. Preservation League and two golfers. A day later, Trump posted that the work would start immediately.

Reyes, who was nominated to the bench by Democratic President Joe Biden, previously ordered the administration to suspend work on the project until at least Oct. 26.

The plaintiffs challenging the project, DC Preservation League and two golfers, claim the work is inflicting irreversible damage. At a hearing, the judge excoriated the government after workers cut down at least 400 trees over a holiday weekend with little notice to the plaintiffs.

The course renovation project is part of the Republican president’s aggressive campaign to leave his personal imprint on Washington’s historic landscape. Those plans include construction of a huge ballroom at the White House, a massive arch and the creation of a National Garden of American Heroes in West Potomac Park. DC Preservation League is part of a coalition of organizations, including the Cultural Landscape Foundation and one D.C. resident, who have filed lawsuit challenging those plans.

Reyes rejected the administration’s request for her to recuse herself from the case. The government questioned her impartiality and accused her of engaging in “egregious” behavior from the bench during an emergency hearing in the case.

In Monday's ruling Reyes stressed that she had hoped the parties could have resolved their dispute without judicial intervention. She noted that she had denied plaintiffs’ previous requests.

“The Court would much prefer not to have to resolve Lorax v. Once‑ler redux. Indeed, for months, the Court declined to intervene,” she wrote.

But she said the government forced her hand by bulldozing hundreds of trees without any notice, doing “what it assured all it would not do.”

Reyes quoted from a golf-related opinion written by the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, a conservative icon, in stressing the temporary nature of her own decision.

“Here, golf and government have again clashed,” Reyes wrote. “By issuing this preliminary injunction, the Court does not end the round: it simply marks the ball until the parties can fully and fairly litigate this case.

Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman, whose organization is co-counsel representing the plaintiffs, called the ruling “a big win that will rightly protect East Potomac Park from further irreparable harm.” She added, in an email, that the move will stop activities “while the case continues, and we are eager to argue the case in court.”

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly referred to Perryman as “he.” This version corrects her identity to “she.”

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Associated Press reporter Gary Fields contributed to this story.

The Washington Monument is seen as a golfer takes a swing at East Potomac Park Golf Course, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

The Washington Monument is seen past stumps of removed trees at East Potomac Park Golf Course, Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)