Hayward to miss at least 4 weeks
Gordon Hayward will miss at least a month after spraining his right foot during the Hornets’ win Friday night over the Pacers.
The team said in a statement Saturday that Hayward will be reevaluated in roughly four weeks.
He was injured when he stepped on Myles Turner’s foot while driving to the basket in the second quarter and immediately crumpled.
The 31-year-old forward is averaging 19.6 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in his first season with the Hornets on a $128 million, four-year deal.
The Hornets are already without rookie guard LaMelo Ball, out indefinitely with a broken right wrist.
This injury is on the opposite side of the gruesome broken left ankle Hayward suffered in his first game with the Celtics in 2017.
He was an All-Star in 2016-17 with the Jazz.
College basketball: The University of Cincinnati on Saturday put basketball coach John Brannen on paid leave pending an investigation after six Bearcats players decided to transfer last month. The school announced March 26 that it had launched an investigation amid reports that a rift between Brannen and players had led to the requested transfers. Among the six who entered the transfer portal during a week in March were four members of the 2020 freshman class . ... Health officials in Indiana said Saturday they are investigating whether anyone was exposed to COVID19 by Alabama residents following Friday night’s death of a Crimson Tide fan who was in Indianapolis for the NCAA Tournament last weekend. Luke Ratliff, a 23-year-old Alabama student, died after a brief illness, his father, Bryan Ratliff, told The Tuscaloosa News. The newspaper, citing multiple sources it did not identify, reported Ratliff died of complications related to COVID19. The elder Ratliff could not immediately be reached for comment Saturday by The Associated Press.
MLB: The Braves looked a little patchwork in their second game of the season. The All-Star Game patch that appeared on the right sleeve of the Braves’ jerseys during opening day was sewn over Saturday against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. The same logo was gone from their hats, too. The uniform change came a day after Major League Baseball announced that this summer’s All-Star Game was being moved out of Atlanta over the sport’s objections to sweeping changes to Georgia voting laws.
NHL: Andrei Vasilevskiy made 25 stops to move to 12-0 lifetime against Detroit and lead the Lightning to a 2-1 victory on Saturday. Tampa Bay has won 17 consecutive home games against the Red Wings and improved to 20-1-1 in the last 22 meetings overall. The teams meet again on Sunday. “I love Vasy he’s committed to himself, he’s committed to be in the best goalie in the world,” Lightning forward Pat Maroon said. “He wants to be the best, he wants to win every single year, he wants to win every single game. He hates to lose. His commitment is unbelievable” Ross Colton and Brayden Point scored Tampa Bay’s goals. Adam Erne scored for Detroit. Thomas Greiss finished with 27 saves.