Charlotte Hornets forward Nicolas Batum suffered a left ankle sprain in the fourth quarter of Game 2 against the Miami Heat and will not return to action, the team announced Wednesday night.
Nicolas Batum suffers left ankle sprain in Game 2 against Heat
The Hornets forward twisted his ankle in the fourth quarter of Game 2.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Batum appeared to suffer the injury while dribbling near the 3-point line when he pulled up after twisting his ankle. The French forward immediately fell to the ground and needed help getting off the court before heading to the locker room. Further evaluations revealed the ankle sprain.
This continues an unfortunate trend of ankle injuries for Batum, who has had a breakout season as a key player for Charlotte. He left one of the team’s final games of the regular season after spraining the same ankle and has dealt with other ankle injuries in the past.
The severity of this injury is uncertain beyond the fact that it keeps him out of the rest of Game 2, but his absence would be a major blow to the Hornets. The forward wasn’t having a great game Wednesday with nine points on 3-of-11 shooting, but he was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points in Game 1. During the regular season, he averaged 14.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game.
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