Hornets Release Initial Injury Report vs Bulls

Charlotte could be down a handful of players on Wednesday night.

The Charlotte Hornets announced that starting forward Gordon Hayward (ankle) will not play Wednesday night against the Chicago Bulls. Hayward went down in the first quarter on Monday night's game against Toronto after he and Gary Trent Jr. got tied up when going after a rebound. Hayward sprained his ankle and did not return to the game.

"It's a major concern there," head coach James Borrego said about the status of Hayward. "We'll have an update later today. We'll know more as we gather more information but anytime Gordon goes out, it's a major concern. We lost him for two weeks and that put strain on us. Hopefully it's not two weeks, but it could be. It could be beyond that, we just don't know. But we've been here before. We were here last year. We just experienced it without him for two weeks. We got to respond and it's a great opportunity for somebody else to step up."

Alongside Hayward, the Hornets will also be without Cody Martin, who will miss his second straight game due to left ankle and achilles soreness. Jalen McDaniels also remains out of the lineup with a left ankle sprain. However, he is making progress in his return to the court. 

"He's doing light work, nothing live yet. So, we haven't even crossed that bridge yet," Borrego said of McDaniels. "We'll have to get him to live but I don't know if that's before All-Star break or if that's after. We're just not there yet. I can't say this week for sure he's going to do anything live. I just don't have that information right now."

Rookie guard James Bouknight (right wrist sprain) is listed as doubtftul.

The Hornets and Bulls are set to tip-off inside Spectrum Center on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. EST and will be televised on ESPN.

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