Hornets Provide Injury Update on Tidjane Salaün; Grant Williams Set to Return vs. Heat

Friday night, the Charlotte Hornets will have the majority of their rotation available to them for a pivotal home game against a division rival, the Miami Heat.

After sitting out against the Boston Celtics, Grant Williams will be back in uniform tonight, playing a key role off the bench for Charles Lee.

Many questioned the decision to play Grant in the first game of the back-to-back, but the Hornets did not foresee an injury happening to Tidjane Salaün, which made their frontcourt incredibly thin on Wednesday night.

Instead of going against their plan for Williams to play in just one game of a back-to-back, they opted to still rest him, and it didn’t matter as the Hornets cruised to a victory over the number two seed in the Eastern Conference.

So far this season, Williams is averaging 7.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 42% from the floor and 37% from three-point range. Williams has reached double figures in scoring in six of this last eleven appearances, including a team-high 20-point output in their home loss to the Houston Rockets. In Tuesday's win over the Dallas Mavericks, Williams notched 12 points on 4/6 shooting (all from three-point land), while also pulling down four rebounds and dishing out three assists.

As for Salaün, the Hornets updated his injury designation, calling it a calf injury instead of a knee.

Feb 22, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Tidjane Salaun (31) takes a shot before a game against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

The injury occurred with about a minute and change left against the Dallas Mavericks, where he went up for a shot in the paint and was fouled by Caleb Martin. When Salaün came down, his leg got caught underneath of him, bending it awkwardly. Fortunately, he was able to get up under his own power, walk it off, and shoot his two free throws before exiting the game and heading to the locker room. No further updates have been made at this time.

As for the Heat, they will be without SF Norman Powell (R Groin), F Simone Fontecchio (L Groin), F Nikola Jovic (Low Back), and possibly F Andrew Wiggins (Knee), who has been listed as doubtful.

The Hornets and Heat are slated to throw the ball up in the air at approximately 7:10 PM ET, which can be streamed on FanDuel Sports Network Southeast while also being televised on WSOC–TV Channel 9.

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