Charlotte finally gets starting five on the floor, only to lose Brandon Miller to sprained ankle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For at least three quarters, the Charlotte Hornets had their projected starting five on the floor together for the first time this season.

And then, another brutal injury.

Hornets forward Brandon Miller left Monday night’s 121-108 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in the fourth quarter with a sprained left ankle. He did not return.

Head coach Charles Lee said it's unclear how long Miller will be out.

Lee said Miller first tweaked his ankle in front of the Hornets bench when he stepped on someone's foot, and then a short time later came down wrong on it while making a driving layup to cut Philadelphia’s lead to 97-91 with 8:20 left in the game. Officials stopped play and Miller expressed frustration as he hobbled off the court and headed straight to the locker room, finishing with 12 points in 31 minutes.

Lee was excited before the game about finally getting his starting five on the floor following the return of LaMelo Ball, who returned to action after missing seven games with a calf injury.

The Hornets entered training camp with plans to start Ball and Miller alongside Miles Bridges, Josh Green and Mark Williams. However, Williams began the season injured, and Miller and Bridges also missed time with injuries. Then Ball got hurt, and the Hornets went 1-6 without him.

Ball finished with 15 points and 11 assists in nearly 26 minutes in his return.

“I thought defensively he was engaged,” Lee said. “His on-ball defense was pretty good and offensively we got to see some of his ability to play make and create shots for himself and his teammates. He got to shake some of the rust and he will just keep getting better and better.”

Ball had been playing at an All-Star level before the injury, averaging 31.1 points, 6.9 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.

The Hornets (7-19) will need all hands on deck if they hope to get back in the playoff hunt. They entered Monday in 13th place in the Eastern Conference.