Gordon Hayward's Playing Status vs. Sixers on Saturday

The Charlotte Hornets are expected to get a major boost on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers. According to the Hornets’ injury report,

The Charlotte Hornets are expected to get a major boost on Saturday afternoon when they take on the Philadelphia 76ers.

According to the Hornets’ injury report, the veteran forward Gordon Hayward has been upgraded to probable after missing a significant amount of playing time with a left ankle sprain.

The last time Hayward saw the court was back in early February at home against the Toronto Raptors. After checking in for under seven minutes, Hayward left the matchup with just three points off two shots. 

Since that early February game when the Raptors took on a 15-point loss, Hayward has been recovering from his ankle injury. Twenty-two games later, Hayward is set to return against the Sixers as Charlotte looks to make a late push for the playoffs.

Fortunately for the Hornets, they guaranteed themselves a spot in the Play-In tournament on Friday night as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Orlando Magic. Now, the Hornets can work on their seeding as they are currently tied with the Brooklyn Nets and the Atlanta Hawks with a 40-37 record.

Coming into Saturday’s game, Charlotte is red-hot as they’ve won eight of their last ten matchups. Meanwhile, the Sixers are in a bit of a rut as they’ve lost three-straight games, with their latest defeat coming against the Detroit Pistons. 

While Hayward could be facing an uphill battle as rust could play a part in his expected return on Saturday, the veteran’s presence will still be a nice boost for the Hornets regardless. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.