Smith has been ruled out for the remainder of Thursday's game against the Pelicans due to illness.
Smith joins Terry Rozier (foot) and Kelly Oubre (shoulder) as an early exit from Thursday's matchup after feeling under the weather. He finished with eight points and four assists over 22 minutes while Bryce McGowens and Svi MckHailiuk will likely see expanded roles for the remainder of the game. Smith's next chance to play will come Friday against Dallas.
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Hornets' Kelly Oubre: Will not return Thursday
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Oubre has been ruled out for the remainder of Thursday's game against the Pelicans with a right shoulder strain.
Oubre exited Thursday's tilt in the second quarter after recording eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals over 12 minutes. With Terry Rozier (foot) doubtful to return, Dennis Smith, Bryce McGowens and Svi Mykhailiuk will handle the brunt of the backcourt work. Oubre will have a short recovery window as the Hornets visit the Mavericks on Friday.
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Hornets' Terry Rozier: Unlikely to return
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Rozier left Thursday's game against the Pelicans with discomfort in his right foot and is doubtful to return.
Rozier left the game in the second quarter with five points, four rebounds and two assists in 10 minutes and is unlikely to return. If he doesn't come back, Dennis Smith will take over lead point guard duties while Bryce McGowens could see more run.
Hornets' Theo Maledon: Flirts with double-double in defeat
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Maledon tallied 17 points (6-13 FG, 3-5 FG, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks over 36 minutes during Tuesday's 129-116 loss to Capital City.
Maledon led the team in rebounds along with a team-high-tying assist total while finishing as one of five Swarm players in double figures in scoring in a near-double-double outing. Maledon has averaged 16.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.0 steals over 23 regular-season games.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Inks three-year extension
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Richards signed a three-year, $15 million contract extension with the Hornets on Wednesday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
The Hornets locked up Richards for three more years after posting career-highs in points, rebounds, blocks, free throw percentage and minutes as the team's backup center this season. Although he will likely remain the backup to Mark Williams for the upcoming seasons, Richards can be a strong fantasy option when given enough minutes. He's shown that ability in his last five games starting in place of Williams (thumb), averaging 9.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks over 25.0 minutes.
Williams (thumb) will remain on the sidelines for Thursday's game in New Orleans.
Thursday will mark Williams' sixth straight game on the sidelines, and considering there haven't been any reports of him making much progress with the thumb injury, he should be considered doubtful for Friday's game in Dallas as well. Nick Richards has been heating up in a larger role sans Williams, and over the past five games, he's put in averages of 9.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on 70.8 percent shooting.
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Hornets' LaMelo Ball: Plans to be ready for camp
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Ball (ankle) said Monday that he expects to be 100 percent healthy for training camp in September, the Associated Press reports.
Ball is in the early stages of his recovery from the season-ending surgery he underwent March 1 to address a fractured right ankle. Though it was his left ankle that he sprained on three separate occasions over his 36 appearances on the season, the fractured right ankle may have been a compensation injury. With that in mind, Ball acknowledged the possibility of wearing braces on his ankles moving forward, but for the time being, he plans to wait and see how his rehab unfolds before making any decisions on that front entering the 2023-24 campaign. The upcoming season marks the final year of Ball's rookie deal, but despite his struggles to stay on the court in 2022-23, the Hornets likely remain interested in coming to agreement with the point guard on a lucrative long-term extension.
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Hornets' Terry Rozier: Perfect at free-throw line in win
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Rozier finished Monday's 115-109 win over the Pacers with 23 points (7-19 FG, 2-6 3Pt, 7-7 FT), nine assists, two steals and one rebound in 37 minutes.
Rozier had attempted just five free throws over his previous four contests, but he made a more concerted effort to get to the line Monday and cashed in on those opportunities. The perfect showing from the free-throw line helped make up for another inefficient outing from the field, something that fantasy managers have already come to expect from Rozier. Since he's converting at a 41.5 percent rate from the field for the season on a whopping 19.1 attempts per game, Rozier retains far more value in point leagues, where his poor percentage isn't taken into account. With LaMelo Ball (ankle) out of the lineup for the past three weeks, Rozier has been a top-50 performer in points leagues during that stretch.
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Hornets' Kelly Oubre: Game-high 28 points in comeback win
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Oubre produced 28 points (10-17 FG, 3-7 3Pt, 5-9 FT), four steals and three rebounds across 33 minutes during Monday's 115-109 win over Indiana.
For the seventh time in the last nine games, Oubre reached the 20-point mark. He was more efficient Monday than he had been on previous occasions, though he regressed from the free-throw line after having converted at a 91.4 percent clip since the All-Star break prior to the matchup with Indiana. Oubre supplemented his scoring with the four steals, matching his combined total from his last eight appearances.
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Hornets' Gordon Hayward: Fuels big comeback win
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Hayward ended Monday's 115-109 win over the Pacers with 22 points (8-15 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 5-6 FT), five assists, three rebounds and one steal across 34 minutes.
Hayward helped guide the Hornets to a comeback win, scoring nine points in the final five minutes. Monday's game marked only the second time in March that Hayward has topped 20 points, but he's remained a roster-worthy option during that stretch while the Hornets have been without LaMelo Ball (ankle). Terry Rozier and Kelly Oubre are locked in as Charlotte's preferred scorers and playmakers, but Hayward and P.J. Washington have remained serviceable fantasy commodities in secondary roles.
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Hornets' Nick Richards: Cleans glass in elevated role
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Richards notched 14 points (5-8 FG, 4-4 FT), 17 rebounds, two blocks and one assist across 26 minutes during Monday's 115-109 win over Indiana.
With Mark Williams (thumb) still out, Richards maintained a spot in the starting five and established a new career high in rebounds and while securing his third double-double in the last six games. The Pacers rank last in the NBA in defensive rebounding percentage, and Richards took advantage of Indiana's deficiency in that areas by grabbing six of his boards on the offensive end. When Richards plays at least 20 minutes, he's averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. If Williams continues to miss time, Richards has a path to solid rebounding numbers in addition to useful contributions in the blocks and field-goal percentage categories.
Hornets' Cody Martin: Still not ready for game action
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Martin (knee) still isn't ready for game action, but he's trying to return before the Hornets' final regular-season game April 9 versus Cleveland, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Martin has dealt with the lingering knee pain since training camp, suiting up for only one of the Hornets' five preseason games, and played just one minute in the regular-season opener versus San Antonio before subbing himself out. He ultimately underwent an arthroscopic surgery about a month later and missed 37 straight games before returning Jan. 4 against Memphis. However, he appeared in just six contests before being shelved again. Per Boone, Martin's rehab includes strengthening, specific agility drills and exercises, ice and stim procedures and some light on-court work, but he's struggled to make any progress. "It's tough because as a player nobody knows my body better than me," Martin said in an interview with Boone. "Nobody wants me to play more than I do, and it's tough to sit here and watch, especially this long. The only thing I can control right now is staying on top of my rehab, and just being consistent with that and just making sure I'm feeling good."
Martin (knee) has been ruled out for Monday's game against the Pacers.
Martin hasn't played since Dec. 14 due to left knee soreness. With the Hornets out of the playoff picture, the fourth-year forward may be shut down for the rest of the regular season.
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Hornets' Mark Williams: Remains out
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Williams (thumb) is out for Monday's game against Indiana.
Williams is slated to miss a fifth straight game due to a thumb sprain on his right hand. Nick Richards and Kai Jones are candidates for increased roles for the duration of Williams' absence.
