Injuries keep piling up for the Hornets. Is there enough time remaining to save their season?

It’s not like things hadn’t reached absurd levels already, a byproduct of the collective list of injuries that are long enough to fill an ancient scroll.

But when Brandon Miller joined the Charlotte Hornets’ walking wounded as a late scratch just minutes prior to tipoff of their 111-104 win against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday night — and not long after Terry Rozier’s availability was solidified — it felt downright comical.

Partially because Miller, the Hornets’ prized draft pick, has been one of their most durable players, bouncing back quickly on the three occasions when he sprained an ankle. Turns out having Miller sidelined for the penultimate game of their 11-day road trip didn’t hurt Hornets’ cause too much against the Kings, though.

In snapping its 11-game losing skid, Charlotte avoided entering dangerous territory: amassing the franchise’s longest streak without a win since dropping 18 straight in 2012-13.

“Listen, when you lose, I think sometimes people don’t understand,” coach Steve Clifford said. “People think the players, they don’t realize how frustrating it is for guys. Guys put a lot into it. They are professional players. They are professionals for a reason, and to lose that many games like that in a row is difficult. Our guys hung in there. We’ve kept playing hard.”

Miles Bridges: ‘We have a big month here’

That can’t be the easiest of tasks when star point guard LaMelo Ball hasn’t been available for their past 17 games, rehabilitating his sprained right ankle, and Mark Williams’ back giving him fits for five weeks. Besides the Memphis Grizzlies, no team can claim more missed games this season due to injuries than the Hornets. In their New Year’s Day loss in Denver, four-fifths of their projected starting lineup was in street clothes, creating the bleakest of scenarios throughout a two-plus month span loaded with more than a few rough patches.

With the assortment of ailments lingering, it makes you wonder: How much longer do the Hornets (8-24) have until they reach the point of no return and hit their expiration date, unable to fully pull themselves out of the cavernous hole they dug into over the last 10 weeks?

They’re in danger of not attaining even the simplest of their preseason goals, but remain confident the clock hasn’t struck midnight on 2023-24 and believe there is ample time to turn things around. Even if they are in 13th place in the Eastern Conference and 7.5 games out of the play-in tournament’s final spot.

“Yeah, I mean we are still in January,” Miles Bridges said. “It’s the beginning of January. We have a big month here, build off that in February and we could be in play-in talk. So, we just want to continue to get better.”

While the Hornets are technically mathematically alive and can carve out a path to end the NBA’s longest postseason drought that’s at seven years and counting, the likelihood of that happening may seem akin to the chances of winning a billion dollar Powerball jackpot on the strength of a $2 bet.

How can they be trusted to essentially stiff arm their way into the postseason when no one ever knows who’s going to the next one to fall victim to a bite by that pesky injury bug that seems to be a permanent resident?

Baby steps are a necessity.

Steve Clifford: ‘We can’t just wait’

“Most importantly we’ve got to try to get our guys back,” Rozier said. “At this point, we got to try to get our guys back and take it day-by-day. But we are not looking too far down ahead for the playoffs. We are just trying to take it game by game.

“We’ve got a game against Chicago next and we’ve got to win that. Then we play Chicago again (Monday). We’ve got to win that. And then once we start putting some wins together, then we can look forward.”

Should the Hornets ever — and that’s a huge if — reach the stage where it doesn’t feel like the team logo should include a first aid kit, it would settle much of the intrigue about the compatibility of the roster and its composition.

One NBA executive in attendance for the Hornets’ slump-busting win over the Kings even surmised as much even before Charlotte pulled off the late comeback, mentioning how the Hornets would be an interesting team if they could manage to have the key components of their roster in their rotation for more than a few minutes or a couple of games.

The psychological gymnastics navigating it all can be draining.

“I think we are doing a good job of staying together mentally and focused,” Cody Martin said. “We could easily say ‘Man we lost this many in a row, this ain’t working for us or whatever.’ But I think it says a lot about us staying together right now, and moving forward and figuring it out together.”

There’s not much choice. Staying positive during this dark stretch is a must. Or else.

“We also have to continue to grow,” Clifford said. “Guys are getting closer to getting back. We are going to be back to a full, full lineup soon with guys back. And we can’t waste this time. We can’t just wait.

“Because, listen, even when Melo gets back, Mark gets back, Frank (Ntilikina), everybody gets back, we are still going to need time to get organized and they are going to have to get into rhythm. So, our attitude right now towards playing better, towards improving is critical. And we are.”