Not again: Charlotte Hornets lose another starter to injury for weeks, adding to crowded list
Another day, another injury for the Charlotte Hornets.
Miles Bridges has a bone bruise in his right knee that will keep him out for at least the next two weeks, the team announced Thursday. An MRI taken revealed the severity of the injury, the latest on the Hornets’ ever-growing list heading into Friday’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers at Spectrum Center.
Bridges got banged up in the closing seconds of Charlotte’s last-second victory over Detroit on Wednesday when he tried to block Jaden Ivey’s shot, twisting his right knee in an awkward landing on the baseline nearest the team’s bench. The sixth-year forward limped off the court and went right to the locker room area to test it out, eventually returning to the game and later suggesting he was fine.
“I just came down wrong a little bit,” Bridges told The Observer after the game. “I’ll be good. I’ll be good.”
Apparently that’s not completely the case, leaving the Hornets (3-5) even more shorthanded. They are already without starting center Mark Williams (foot) and reserve center Nick Richards (shoulder). Neither seems close to being available and no timetable has been given for either. And now with Bridges joining them on the bench in street clothes, the Hornets will be extremely thin on the front line.
That will put the onus on Taj Gibson, Grant Williams, Moussa Diabate and rookie Tidjane Salaün to hold things down until Bridges & Co. can get back.
Bridges was in the midst of a slow start offensively before turning in his best all-around performance of the early season against the Pistons, posting 27 points and snatching seven rebounds. He had been averaging nearly eight points below the career-best 21 he posted per game a season ago.
But now he’s out for, at minimum, the Hornets’ next seven games.
This story was originally published November 7, 2024 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Not again: Charlotte Hornets lose another starter to injury for weeks, adding to crowded list."
