Hornets have little energy as Wizards roll to the 95-69 victory in Charlotte.
1. Hornets Have No Energy
Playing their eighth game in 13 days, the Charlotte Hornets had little to no energy on the court against Washington on Monday night.
Right from the get-go the Wizards (36-28) were a step quicker and routinely beat Charlotte (28-34) up and down the floor.
The loss snapped a five-game winning streak by the Hornets. It also ended a five-game winning streak against Washington dating back to last season.
The tiredness was most evident on point guard Mo Williams, who was just named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week before the game.
Williams, who entered the game shooting 40.6 percent from 3-point range, managed to make just one of his 10 attempts.
"It's hard to admit, but we were fatigued," forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist said. "All the mental mistakes we made. We cut it to 10, but we just didn't have the fight we usually have.
"But don't feel bad for us. We've seen worse. When we were the Bobcats we saw a lot worse. But we'll fight through it like we always do."
Charlotte head coach Steve Clifford is giving the team Tuesday off so the players can rest their legs before having a home game against Sacramento on Wednesday. The Hornets also have a Friday night home game against Chicago.
"I never look past the next game or the next stretch," Clifford said. "The bottom line is you never know who you are going to play against or who you are going to have, so I think you just get up in the morning and literally that's just how you have to live. Who's going to play for us today, who's going to play for them tonight, and then you just get ready for the game."
2. Gortat Has Big Night
Washington center Marcin Gortat is a solid player, but he is by no means the player that was on display during the first half of the game, when he pumped in 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting.
The one constant all season generally has been the shutdown of the opposition's big guys by the Hornets. That obviously wasn't the case against Gortat, who entered the game averaging 11.8 points and 8.7 assists per contest.
Charlotte center Al Jefferson said it was more than just Gortat having a big game.
"I think it was more of the guard play and what they were doing for him," Jefferson said. "We were a step slow on everything tonight."
Between Gortat and Nene, the two post players for Washington, they combined for 29 points on 13-of-16 shooting.
3. MKG Hitting Stride
Kidd-Gilchrist has really found his groove on the court since returning from a right hamstring strain on Feb. 21.
Entering Monday's game, Kidd-Gilchrist had scored double figures in eight of those nine games, including seven straight, which is the longest streak of his brief career.
Since his return, he's averaging 12.9 points on 52.1 percent shooting from the field, while also grabbing 9.1 rebounds.
"His numbers are better, especially if you look at his midrange numbers, they are totally different than a year ago," Clifford said. "Now, his overall percentages may be similar, but his midrange shooting compared to a year ago is night and day.
"He is a better shooter. He has worked so hard on his shot that he is shooting his midrange jumper much better."
0-10 -- The shooting line for Hornets reserve guard Brian Roberts.
20-0 -- The fast-break points differential between Washington and Charlotte.
Follow Brett Jensen on Twitter @Brett_Jensen
