Hornets news: Gordon Hayward exits Mavs game due to injury

Hornets standout small forward Gordon Hayward left the Mavs matchup early with an injury. It's his left hip, and they're calling it a strain.

Charlotte Hornets swingman Gordon Hayward will likely be sidelined once more after abruptly leaving their game against the Dallas Mavericks at Spectrum Center on Wednesday. The 30-year-old was ruled out for the rest of the contest after straining his left hip in the second half.

The Hornets have ruled Gordon Hayward out for the rest of tonight's game against Dallas with a strained left hip

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 14, 2021

Hayward initially walked limping to the Hornets bench after straining his hip in the third period. After trying to assess his injury with team trainers, he headed back to the locker room and did not return.

Gordon Hayward left tonight’s game in 3Q with a left hip strain, he will not return, per the team.

Here's Hayward getting checked on the sideline before heading back into the locker room.@wcnc | #NBA | #Hornets pic.twitter.com/5ZdNAYSefm

— Ashley Stroehlein (@ashstro) January 14, 2021

Gordon Hayward, who has battled his fair share of debilitating injuries in the past, is having a strong start to his Hornets career so far. Before prematurely exiting the contest against the Mavs, Hayward was having another fine performance of 16 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one block. He shot 5-for-15 from the field and 3-of-6 from deep in 27 minutes of action. This comes at an extremely unfortunate time for Charlotte, who has been playing terrific basketball as of late.

With Hayward leading the charge, the Hornets have won their last four contests entering Wednesday's match with Dallas. The 30-year-old winger was averaging a team-high 22.5 points along with 5.2 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.4 steals in 11 games.

Hayward erupted for 34 points in the Hornets' last outing against the New York Knicks. He also recorded a season-high 44 points against the Atlanta Hawks earlier this month. Without Hayward on the floor, Charlotte returned to its losing ways and was outplayed by the Mavs for 48 minutes, losing 93-104. The defeat dropped them to 6-6 this season.

The extent of Hayward's injury remains uncertain at the moment, but Hornets fans certainly have their fingers crossed that he'll be back healthy soon.