Jordan Poole shoots the Wizards out of the NBA cellar with a late 3-pointer

By NOAH TRISTER – AP Sports Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — In dramatic fashion, Jordan Poole lifted the Washington Wizards out of the NBA cellar.

Poole’s 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds remaining put Washington ahead, and the Wizards went on to beat the Charlotte Hornets 113-110 on Thursday night. The victory — and a loss by New Orleans — means Washington no longer has the league’s worst record.

Despite a 16-game losing streak earlier this season, the Wizards (5-23) are ahead of the Pelicans (5-26), and they aren’t too far behind Toronto (7-24) and Charlotte (7-23). Since its lengthy skid, Washington has gone 3-5, including two wins over the Hornets a week apart.

“I’ve always felt like I’ve been the man for the moment, and I make big shots all the time,” said Poole, who scored 25 points. “Credit to the coaching staff for putting the ball in my hands, and shout-out to my teammates for finding me as well.”

The 25-year-old Poole is practically an elder statesman on a Washington team with three rookies — Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George — averaging at least 25 minutes a game.

Sarr had 15 points — including a key tip-in with 14.8 seconds remaining — and three blocks Thursday.

“We’re learning, we’re trying to get up a lot of 3s, but I think something that coach harps on night in and night out is just relying on our defense,” Poole said. “Because we’re such a young team right now that we’re still trying to find our identity on offense.”

The Wizards won despite scoring only 17 points in the fourth quarter.

“We got gritty defensively,” coach Brian Keefe said. “You can win sometimes when you don’t shoot the ball well. Great effort by our guys.”

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