Hornets' Jefferson: Batum's ankle injury 'pretty bad'

The Charlotte Hornets are down 2-0 in their first-round series to the Miami Heat, but the worst news may be yet to come.

Swingman Nicolas Batum departed in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 115-103 Game 2 loss with a sprained left ankle and did not return.

One of his teammates isn't confident he'll be back in the series either.

"Looking at his ankle now it's pretty bad," Hornets center Al Jefferson said afterwards, according to ESPN's Justin Verrier. "I don't think he will be able to come back."

The team provided no status update for Batum, but head coach Steve Clifford said he was "very" concerned about the injury. Game 3 goes Saturday in Charlotte. The Hornets have been hammered by an average of 22 points in the first two contests of the series, and the 27-year-old Frenchman is one of their best players.

Batum was second on the team in scoring, steals, and 3-point percentage this season and is an unrestricted free agent this summer. He originally hurt the same left ankle in the penultimate game of the regular campaign and sat out the season finale.