CHARLOTTE, NC (WCCB Charlotte) — The Hornets announced Thursday night that forward Nic Batum will miss Game 3 of the team’s first round playoff series vs. Miami on Saturday.
An MRI on Batum’s left foot did not reveal a break but just a strain. The injury occurred early in the fourth quarter of the Game 2 loss to the Heat on Wednesday.
The team is holding out hope that Batum could possibly return later in the series. A report from Cleveland.Com cited a league source stating that Batum would miss the remainder of the series.
The eighth-year Frenchman averaged career highs of 14.9 points and 5.8 assists along with 6.1 rebounds in 35.0 minutes per game in 70 contests for the Hornets (all starts) during the regular season. In the first two games of the 2016 NBA Playoffs, Batum has averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 37.5 minutes per game.
The team will hold practice on Friday and meet with the media at roughly noon.
