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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Cole Huff

The Hornets lose 4 players to COVID-19 protocols amidst a wild NBA week

Capping off a busy week in the NBA that was filled with injury-related news, four Charlotte Hornets players have entered the health and safety protocols this Saturday.

The Athletic’s Shams Charania broke the news via Twitter that both Terry Rozier and LaMelo Ball had entered the protocols before a follow-up tweet shortly after named Jalen McDaniels and Mason Plumlee as the next two Hornets to join.

Ball, the most recent Rookie of the Year, is having a strong sophomore season. He’s leading the Hornets in points (20.0), rebounds (7.7), and assists (8.3) per game, and has long shot MVP odds at Tipico Sportsbook. Along with Ball’s across-the-board production, the league’s highest-scoring team will desperately miss Rozier’s contributions to the offense, where he is averaging 17.7 points and 3.6 assists.

Such news isn’t ideal for the Hornets who have lost three straight games and will now be without multiple starters for the time being. And with the amount of damage it’s done to the team in just a short few hours, it is reasonable to wonder if there’s more to come.

As it stands, this could be a great opportunity for Miles Bridges to bring a bit more life to his Most Improved Player campaign. The Hornets will surely need all of his production as they look to avoid the play-in games and earn a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

Gannett may earn revenue from Tipico for audience referrals to betting services. Tipico has no influence over nor are any such revenues in any way dependent on or linked to the newsrooms or news coverage. See Tipico.com for Terms and Conditions. 21+ only. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER (NJ), 1-800-522-4700 (CO).

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