The Washington Wizards have ruled out guard Bradley Beal for Monday’s contest against the Atlanta Hawks with a left hamstring strain.
Beal injured his hamstring in Saturday’s overtime win over the Indiana Pacers. He briefly left the game in the third quarter but returned, finishing with 50 points. However, he did not play in the final stretch of the fourth quarter and sat out the entire overtime period.
Beal explained how the injury felt as the game progressed.
His presence will be missed for a Wizards team that is ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, just one-half game ahead of the Pacers. He is second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.4 points per game.
Beal has previously missed nine games this season. Washington is 1-8 in games without the three-time all-star.
Without Beal, the Wizards will turn to Russell Westbrook to carry the team. Westbrook will be looking to set the NBA record with his 182nd triple-double of his career in Atlanta. He’ll have to attempt the feat without his starting backcourt mate.
