During the third quarter of a preseason game against the Miami Heat, Hornets rookie Austin Rivers suffered a painful looking sprained ankle that caused him to leave for the remainder of the game.
The tenth selection in the 2012 NBA Draft was driving on offense away from the ball when he tried to cut and rolled his ankle underneath him in an awkward manner. Video of the injury can be seen below:
Rivers. 20, is the son of Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers and was expected to be a member of the starting lineup for the Hornets when they begin the regular season against the Spurs on Wednesday. Prior to suffering the injury, Rivers had tallied six points, four assists and one rebound against the Heat
The Hornets finished with the Western Conference's worst record for the 2011-12 season, finishing 21-45. They had a 3-4 record in the preseason entering their Friday night preseason finale against the Heat.