The Charlotte Hornets lost Brandon Miller to right groin soreness in the second quarter Friday night, and the Boston Celtics ran away with a 119-80 win in Charlotte, as first reported by ClutchPoints.
Miller had 8 points on 3-of-10 shooting in 14 minutes before he left with Boston already up 47-23. He did not return. No timeline was given.
What Went Wrong
Charlotte was already short-handed. Kon Knueppel and Moussa Diabate both sat, and the AP recap said Knueppel reinjured his hamstring Wednesday in Brooklyn, with coach Charles Lee giving no return date.
Boston made it ugly early. Jayson Tatum finished with 34 points, 9 assists and 8 rebounds, scoring 18 in the first quarter alone. Derrick White added 18. The Celtics hit 17 of 31 threes in the first half and led by 31 at the break. Naz Reid led Charlotte with 14.
The loss drops the Hornets to 3-7 with six straight losses and an 0-2 mark in NBA Cup play. They host Cleveland on Monday night.
The IAHHM Take
This one stings for Carolina. Miller is averaging a career-best 22 points and 5.3 rebounds a game, per ClutchPoints, and he’s in the first season of a five-year, $209 million extension. He is the guy this rebuild is built around.
His shot has been off (36% from the field, 26.7% from three), but the Hornets don’t have enough healthy bodies to survive without him. With Knueppel also out, the forward spots fall to Royce O’Neale, Tidjane Salaun and rookie Hannes Steinbach.
Charlotte fans: is it time to worry about this season, or is it just a bad injury stretch? Sound off.
More Carolina sports: IAHHM’s Week in Review.
Source: ClutchPoints, AP via ESPN
