Charlotte Hornets swingman Nicolas Batum will not play for the fourth straight game. According to the Hornets’ Twitter account, Batum is out for Saturday night’s road game against the Dallas Mavericks due to soreness in his left Achilles.

The Hornets are not yet out of contention for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, but they are currently behind the Milwaukee Bucks, who are occupying the eighth spot in the East, by 6.5 games with only nine games remaining on their regular-season schedule, including tonight’s date with the Mavericks.

With their postseason hopes looking bleaker by the day, it would not come as a huge surprise if Charlotte decided to rule Nicolas Batum out for the rest of the season. It also makes sense for the Hornets to sit Batum the rest of the way as they could not afford to risk the health of someone the team signed to a five-year, $120 million contract in 2016.

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Batum, who last saw action during a 129-117 road win against the Atlanta Hawks on Mar. 15, has played in only 56 games so far this season due to injuries. The 29-year-old shooting guard has missed a number of games because of a torn elbow ligament, an elbow contusion, and migraine.

In lieu of Batum, the Hornets will most likely start Jeremy Lamb at the two-guard spot, while rookie Malik Monk is also expected to get an increase in playing time. Over the past five games, Lamb has averaged 12.0 points and 26.8 minutes, while Monk has put up 8.2 points on 16.2 minutes over the same stretch.

On the season, Nicolas Batum is averaging 11.9 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game.