The Washington Wizards have already ruled out Bradley Beal for Monday’s game at the Atlanta Hawks with a mild left hamstring strain. But, his status for the remainder of the regular season is uncertain, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
An MRI revealed no significant injury for Beal. However, he is listed as day-to-day.
The Wizards (32-36) are currently in ninth place in the Eastern Conference standings and have a 3.5-game lead over 11th-placed Chicago Bulls for a spot in the play-in tournament.
After Monday’s game against the Hawks, the Wizards will play the Hawks again in Atlanta on Wednesday. Then, close out the regular season at home with games against the Cleveland Cavaliers and Charlotte Hornets.
Bradley Beal injured his hamstring at some point in Saturday’s overtime win against the Indiana Pacers. He scored 50 points, all in regulation, however he sat out the entire overtime period due to the hamstring injury.
He is currently second in the NBA in scoring, averaging 31.4 points per game. The Wizards are 1-8 this season without Beal in the lineup. While they are in the driver’s seat to make the play-in tournament, not having their leading scorer to close out the final stretch of the regular season could make their push for the playoffs murky.
The Wizards still have Russell Westbrook, who is averaging a triple-double this season with 22.0 points, 11.6 rebounds and 11.5 assists per game. However, Washington has struggled to find a third scorer, particularly in games Beal doesn’t play.
If Beal’s injury keeps him out, the Wizards will lean more heavily on Rui Hachimura (13.7 points per game), Davis Bertans (11.3 PPG) and Raul Neto (8.6 PPG) to replace the perimeter scoring void left without Beal.
