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P.J. Washington sixth player in Hornets history to log 40+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated29 Mar 2023

P.J. Washington sixth player in Hornets history to log 40+ points, 5+ assists, and 5+ rebounds against Thunder

P.J. Washington became the sixth player in Charlotte Hornets history to record at least 40 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a single game. In Tuesday night’s 137-134 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the forward scored a career-high 43 points in 38 minutes as a starter.

Along with amassing six boards, five assists, and one steal, Washington shot 16-of-24 (66.7%) from the floor, 5-of-9 (55.6%) beyond the arc, and 6-of-7 (85.7%) at the foul line. Charlotte outscored the Thunder 44-25 in the fourth quarter after allowing 45 points in the second period.

Referring to a few NBA betting sites, P.J. Washington and the Hornets are officially eliminated from playoff contention. Check out which sportsbooks are giving the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors the best odds of qualifying for the play-in tournament.

Twenty-two of Washington’s 43 points were scored in the fourth quarter. The Charlotte wing knocked down eight field goals and three 3-pointers in the final frame to defeat OKC on the road.

Charlotte was coming off two wins against the Dallas Mavericks. “Credit to my teammates getting me in the right spots,” said P.J. Washington. “I was just trying to be aggressive with the shots that I did take.”

P.J. Washington scores career-high 43 points, becomes sixth player in Hornets history to record at least 40 points, five assists, and five rebounds in a single game

Furthermore, the Hornets found a way to win Terry Rozier (right foot discomfort) and Kelly Oubre (strained right shoulder). Both players missed their third straight game, and Dennis Smith (sprained right toe) was absent as well. However, victories for a 20-win team are not worth much at this point of the season.

Through 72 starts this season, P.J. Washington is averaging career highs of 15.8 points, 6.0 field goals, and 32.9 minutes per game. Plus, he’s shooting 44.3% from the field and 34.7% from downtown. A career-high 2,368 minutes played is impressive for the Kentucky product.

Additionally, the Charlotte forward ranks 20th in blocks (79) this season. In October 2021, the Hornets exercised Washington’s $5,808,435 team option for this season. This is part of the four-year, $17.88 million rookie scale contract the 6-foot-7 wing signed in 2019.

Since the 24-year-old met the 41-game starter criteria, his qualifying offer this offseason is now locked in at $8,486,620. Of course, his original offer was $7,992,407. P.J. Washington became the first player from the 2019 NBA Draft class reach the criteria.

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