Rui Hachimura to miss Wizards’ game vs. Bucks originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Wizards forward Rui Hachimura will be out for Wednesday night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks with a non-COVID illness, the team announced via Twitter.
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Hachimura’s absence will likely mean increased minutes for other young Washington forwards like Anthony Gil, Chandler Hutchison and perhaps Isaac Bonga. Rookie Deni Avdija has been out since suffering a hairline fracture in his right ankle two weeks ago. It is unclear if Hachimura will miss any games after Wednesday.
Rui’s illness comes at an inconvenient time for the Wizards, as they’re in the midst of a chase for the NBA’s play-in tournament. Washington currently sits at 10th place in the Eastern Conference, the last qualifying spot for the end-of-season tournament to determine playoff eligibility. At 30-35, the Wizards are half a game behind ninth-place Indiana and 3.5 games ahead of 11th-place Toronto.
Hachimura is coming off a remarkable performance against the Pacers on Monday, in what was arguably the best game of his season. In a statistically historic 154-141 win, Rui put up 27 points (the third-highest tally of his season), seven rebounds and two assists while shooting a staggering 63.2% from the field. Milwaukee are third in the east with a 41-24 record. While the Wizards have gone 7-2 in their last nine games, the Bucks are on a three-game winning streak themselves.
Watch the Wizards take on the Bucks starting with Wizards Pregame Live, 7pm on NBC Sports Washington.
