Steve Clifford probably isn't too thrilled that his Charlotte Hornets have turned in flat third quarters in their last three games. They're doing a damn fine job of cranking it up in the fourth, though. [ Play Yahoo Daily Fantasy and get a 100% deposit bonus with your first deposit ] For the third straight game, the Hornets struggled coming out of intermission, following up lackluster third quarters against the Philadelphia 76ers and Sacramento Kings by managing just 16 points on dismal 6-for-21 shooting to allow the visiting Washington Wizards to take a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter on Wednesday. But just as they did in beating both the Sixers and Kings, the Hornets cranked up their surprisingly potent offense enough in the late stages to sweep their prior stumbles under the rug: After a pair of free throws by Wizards forward Jared Dudley pushed the lead to nine with 9:53 remaining in the final frame, the Hornets scored the next 25 points , holding Washington scoreless for a full 9 1/2 minutes of game time and completely taking over the game. While the troika of Jeremy Lamb, Nicolas Batum and Kemba Walker fueled Charlotte's offense, Clifford's club celebrated their...