WASHINGTON -- Bradley Beal and the Washington Wizards were sick and tired of allowing open shots, so they did something about it.

Charlotte Hornets coach Steve Clifford is beyond frustrated that his squad can't fix its lack of physicality, an issue that led to another loss.

John Wall had 25 points, 10 assists and seven steals as the Wizards used their highest-scoring quarter of the season to help defeat the Hornets 109-106 Wednesday night.

Beal scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half and set a career high with nine assists for the Wizards (10-14).

Washington outscored Charlotte 38-23 in the third quarter for an 87-77 lead and fended off the Hornets late. The Wizards shot 51.7 percent from the field, outrebounded the Hornets 41-33 and dominated points in the paint 56-28.

The Hornets (14-12) lost their third straight despite shooting 51.4 percent from the field and sinking 14 of 33 3-point attempts (42.4 percent).

"It was our defensive pressure," Beal said. "We got tired of giving them open threes in the first half, comfortable shots. ... In the second half, we just got after it."

The Hornets committed 11 of their 18 turnovers in the second half. Their biggest sin, however, involved what occurred on the other end of the court.

"I've been telling them for three weeks now ... be physical. Make it hard on them. Make it hard to run offense," said a fuming Clifford. "Bump them off every cut. Bump them off every screen. Sooner or later, we've got to respond. Not just one guy. We have to respond as a group or it's not going to get better. I'm sick of watching it, frankly."

Nicolas Batum had 20 points and eight assists, Cody Zeller scored 18 points and Kemba Walker added 17 points and nine assists.

"Just too many mistakes, really," Walker said of what went wrong. "We play in spurts way too much. ... It's been hurting us a lot, especially as of late."

Told of Clifford's comments, Walker simply said, "He sees it all."

Marcin Gortat amassed 16 points and 12 rebounds for Washington, which lost 112-101 at Miami on Monday but has won three of four overall.

Beal missed all six of his field-goal attempts in the first half but scored 11 points in the third quarter. His free throws gave Washington a 108-102 lead with 24.6 seconds remaining in the game. Charlotte quickly made two layups, including Zeller's with 10.8 seconds left after Wall committed his eighth turnover.

After Wall sank one of two free throws 9.6 seconds left, Batum missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer. The carom ended up with Walker, who backed up beyond the arc and fired. Beal fretted overtime was coming, but the shot was just off as the clock stuck zero.

"My honest opinion? A little nervous, not going to lie," Beal admitted. "He had a solid look."

All five of Washington's starters scored in double figures, including Kelly Oubre Jr., who had 15 points in his first start of the season. Otto Porter scored 10 points.

Wall passed Greg Ballard (762) to become the franchise's all-time leader in steals.

"That guy is incredible," Oubre said of Wall.

The point guard also had plenty of turnovers, but his teammates committed only six.

The Hornets shot 55.3 percent from the field in the first half for a 54-49 lead at the break and pulled ahead 66-56 early in the third. Wall and Beal took over from there as Washington's backcourt fueled a 31-11 run over the final 8:01 of the quarter. Trey Burke's jumper opened the fourth quarter scoring for an 89-77 lead.

Oubre replaced Markieff Morris, who was a late scratch with a sore foot. Morris said sitting out was just precautionary. He added that the soreness, which has existed since training camp, "has been really back and forth with both feet."

NOTES: Wizards C Ian Mahinmi increased his activity during a recent workout, coach Scott Brooks said, but remains sidelined with knee tendinitis. The big man will be re-evaluated Friday, which will mark a week since his last MRI. Mahinmi has played in just one game this season. ... Charlotte entered Wednesday second in the NBA in screen assists -- screens that lead directly to points -- behind the Golden State Warriors. ... The teams reunite Jan. 23 in Charlotte for the second of the four-game, head-to-head series. ... Washington hosts the Detroit Pistons on Friday. ... Charlotte closes its five-game road trip with matchups Friday at the Boston Celtics and Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks.