Hornets' Bridges out at least 2 weeks with bone bruise
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges will miss at least two weeks after an MRI revealed a bone bruise in his right knee, the team announced Thursday.
Bridges, who had already been ruled out for Friday's game against the Indiana Pacers, sustained the injury when he hyperextended his knee in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 108-107 win over the Detroit Pistons. He landed awkwardly on his right leg while attempting to defend a layup by Jaden Ivey with 1:08 remaining.
Bridges came out of the game, but he returned with 6.1 seconds to play and Charlotte won on a buzzer-beating tip by Brandon Miller.
Bridges, 26, is the latest addition to a quickly growing injury report. Charles Lee's squad is already without centers Nick Richards and Mark Williams due to a fractured rib and sprained foot tendon, respectively. With both 7-footers unavailable, Charlotte is starting 39-year-old forward Taj Gibson at center, even though the 6-foot-9 vet is traditionally undersized for the position.
Now in his sixth season with the Hornets, Bridges is scoring 14.6 points per game and averaging 6.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists. The Michigan State product is struggling with his shot early on, as he's shooting just 39.2% from the field and 26.7% from three, both of which are career-worst marks.