Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier (left groin strain) is out at least the next two games, the team announced Tuesday. Rozier suffered the injury during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 125-124 win over the Indiana Pacers.
The 6-foot-1 guard went down in pain while moving the ball up the court and had to be helped off the floor. An MRI confirmed Rozier suffered a left adductor strain. He did not play in Sunday’s 124-118 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
Per multiple NBA betting sites, the Charlotte Hornets hold 30th-ranked odds to win this season’s 2024 championship. Sportsbooks are showing better odds for the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, and Indiana Pacers.
Terry Rozier is headed to the locker room. pic.twitter.com/NgdVic6Ykm
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) November 5, 2023
Through five starts of the 2023-24 season, Rozier is averaging 22 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 35.8 minutes per game. In his ninth season, he’s shooting 46.7% from the field and 81.8% at the foul line as well.
Last season, Rozier averaged career highs of 21.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 35.3 minutes per game. In Charlotte’s 138-109 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Jan. 6, 2023, he scored a season-high 39 points.
Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier (left groin strain) out at least next two games
Brandon Miller, the Hornets’ No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, made his first NBA start after experiencing his first back-to-back outings in the league. Miller finished with seven points on 3-of-12 shooting versus Dallas.
“The biggest problem when you lose a primary scorer is how the rotation looks and it’s hard,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. Although Miller missed a lot of shots in his NBA debut, Clifford has faith in his rookie guard.
“I’m not even worried about him,” he said of Miller’s first start. “That was his first back-to-back, he’s guarding Kyrie [Irving], I mean come on now.
“There’s a lot of reasons things happen, but he did fine. He’s not gonna make every shot every night. He does a lot of things to help the team play well.”
INJURY UPDATE: @hornets guard Terry Rozier underwent an MRI which confirmed his left adductor (groin) strain. He will be listed as OUT, will miss the next two games vs WAS and additional updates on his status will be provided as appropriate.
— Charlotte Hornets PR (@HornetsPR) November 7, 2023
LaMelo Ball recorded his first career 30-point triple-double against the Mavericks. Ball became the eighth NBA player to record at least 10 triple-doubles before turning 23 years old.
For triple-doubles recorded before turning 23, Ball still trails Luka Doncic (45), Oscar Robertson (38), Magic Johnson (31), Ben Simmons (22), LeBron James (14), Jason Kidd (11), and Nikola Jokic (11).
The Hornets host the Washington Wizards on Wednesday, then travel to Washington for an in-season tournament game Friday. Following the matchup, Charlotte plays Sunday in New York against the Knicks.
