Charlotte Hornets suffer major new injury-illness losses in stretch of playoff run
Charlotte Hornets power forward Miles Bridges could be out for an extended period with a COVID-19 related issue.
Hornets coach James Borrego wouldn’t speculate on that Tuesday, but he sounds prepared for the possibility Bridges misses the rest of the regular season, if not longer.
“I feel bad for Miles. Obviously, he’s having a heck of a year. We don’t know what’s remaining here,” Borrego said before Tuesday’s road game against the Detroit Pistons. “He played so well, he put in the hard work, and he deserves to finish out the season.
“My thing for Miles is to continue to support this group, continue to stay engaged, stay ready. We just don’t know what’s going to happen.”
The Hornets announced at noon on Tuesday that Bridges and starting center P.J. Washington would both miss the Pistons game. Washington was out for an undisclosed personal reason.
The Hornets previously ruled out starting small forward Cody Martin (sprained left ankle) and backup point guard Devonte Graham (knee contusion).
With those players out, Borrego said he planned to start guards LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier, forward Caleb Martin and Jalen McDaniels and center Bismack Biyombo.
Borrego said Cody Martin is probably out another week or more after spraining his left ankle in a hard fall in Sunday’s loss to the Miami Heat. Borrego said Graham’s knee is progressing positively. Graham originally suffered that injury against the Boston Celtics last Wednesday. Graham missed Saturday’s home victory over the Pistons, but played Sunday against the Heat.
The Hornets also announced Tuesday that small forward Gordon Hayward, out since April 2 with a foot sprain, has begun doing weight-bearing exercises. Hayward was recently cleared from wearing a walking boot. There is no projection yet when he might be cleared to play again.
The Hornets are in a playoff race, looking to at least qualify for one of the four spots in the play-in tournament. The seventh- through 10th-place teams qualify for that tournament. The Hornets are currently eighth in the East at 31-33.
The Pistons are last in the Eastern Conference at 19-46 and have been playing mostly rookies and other young players of late. The Hornets have won 12 consecutive games over the Pistons.
Like for most NBA teams, COVID-19 issues aren’t new to the Hornets. Malik Monk missed the preseason after being diagnosed in December. Washington and Cody and Caleb Martin missed regular-season games in February under health and safety protocols, the NBA’s term for COVID-19 related issues.
Bridges and Washington combine for about 25 points and 12 rebounds per game this season. Their absence puts a heavy burden on the guards to hold up the scoring.
The Ball-Rozier will be backed up by Monk, who is two games back from missing a month with an ankle sprain. It’s likely Borrego will play some three-guard lineup with Ball, Rozier and Monk together.
The Hornets have eight games left in the regular season. Holding on to eighth place in the East is important under the play-in format: The seventh- and eighth-place teams will have two chances to win one game to advance to the 16-team playoff draw. The ninth- and 10th-place teams would be eliminated after one play-in loss.
