Gordon Hayward winces in pain after suffering a left ankle injury Monday vs. Toronto.
The Charlotte Hornets lost 116-101 to the visiting Toronto Raptors on Monday and, in the process, saw one of their top players suffer injury, too.
The Hornets lost Gordon Hayward for the game after he sprained his left ankle in the first quarter. Hornets coach James Borrego said following the loss he did not yet have an update on Hayward’s injury — although Hayward did have an X-ray done on the injury after the game.
Hayward played 6 minutes, finishing with three points on 1-for-3 shooting with one rebound.
Gordon Hayward exits the game vs. Raptors after suffering a left ankle sprain.
“It didn’t look get when he came off the floor, but I’m hopeful and we’ll see where we land tonight,” Borrego said, per the Charlotte Observer.
Hayward was contesting a driving layup by the Raptors’ Gary Trent Jr. and went up with him as he attempted his shot. As the shot fell through, Hayward landed and Trent appeared to hit the ground near Hayward. Hayward stayed on the floor under the basket for some time as play continued. When he finally got up, he limped off the floor and went to the locker room.
Hayward had struggled since he missed six games while in COVID-19 protocols, making just 3 of 23 shots from the field. But, coach James Borrego was counting on him to help a young team break out of a slump.
This season, Hayward is averaging 16.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and has been mostly healthy this season after being limited to 28 of 72 games last season.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
