Bradley Beal turned in an efficient shooting performance in Charlotte on Wednesday night against the Hornets, but unfortunately for Brad and his teammates, the effort came in a loss.

The Panda posted 26 points on a 10-19 shooting night that included knocking down 4-6 from deep through three quarters of play.

Beal and the Wizards offense started fast against the Hornets, pouring in 36 points in the first quarter. Beal had 14 points on 5-7 shooting after the first.

Offense wasn’t the problem for the Wizards in the Spectrum Center Wednesday night. The Wiz put up 109 points in the loss.

Defense cost the Wizards in this one, especially in the first half. The Wizards allowed 77 points through the first two frames, a hole any team would struggle to climb out of.

“They were making shots. We were helping them make shots,” said Scott Brooks.

The Wizards knocked down two threes in the first two minutes of the second half in an effort to come back, one off of a chase-down block by Brad, but they failed to consistently make stops all night long, resulting in a 133-109 loss in which the Washington starters sat the entire fourth period.

After the game, BB acknowledged that the team needs to pick it up on defense by staying engaged longer, giving better effort and communicating better.

“Defensively we’ve gotta just bear down and accept the challenge that’s in front of us,” said Beal.

Moving forward Brad stressed the importance of controlling the things he and his teammates can control- things like boxing out, contesting shots, hustling down the floor and staying locked into the game. If the Wizards consistently do that, the shots will eventually fall and the wins will come.

The Wizards have a chance to rebound in Detroit on Friday in a nationally televised matchup on ESPN against the Pistons. The game tips off at 8pm ET.