The Charlotte Hornets won’t have second-leading scorer Miles Bridges in their lineup for at least two weeks after he was diagnosed with a bone bruise in his right knee.
Bridges’ injury was officially announced by the team on Friday and he was listed as out on Friday’s injury report for Charlotte’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers. He’ll be re-evaluated in two weeks, according to the team, but is expected to miss at least the Hornets’ next seven games.
The seventh-year forward suffered the injury during Wednesday’s 108–107 win over the Detroit Pistons. Bridges hyperextended his right knee while attempting a block on Detroit’s Jaden Ivey. He twisted his knee as he landed awkwardly.
“I just came down wrong a little bit,” Bridges told Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer after the game. “I’ll be good. I’ll be good.”
An MRI exam on Thursday revealed the bone bruise. Prior to leaving the game, Bridges tied a season-high with 27 points while also grabbing seven rebounds. He was off to a slow start in the Hornets’ first eight games, averaging 14.6 points per game (nearly seven points fewer than his career-high 21 points per game last season).
Bridges, 26, is the latest injury on Charlotte’s front line, joining centers Mark Williams (foot strain) and Nick Richards (fractured rib). That has contributed in part to the Hornets’ 3–5 start, which has them third in the Southeast Division, a half-game behind the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat.