Brandon Miller misses Hornets’ matchup with Philadelphia 76ers. How long will he be out?

Brandon Miller won’t be in uniform at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday night. The Charlotte Hornets rookie is sitting out their matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers due to a lower back injury, leaving them shorthanded. Miller got hit in the back in the second half of Thursday night’s loss to Milwaukee and was still sore following pregame warmups in Philadelphia, causing the Hornets to hold him out and start Seth Curry in his place, giving Curry his first career start with his hometown team. Although an exact timeline is unclear, Miller isn’t expected to be sidelined long term, league sources told the Observer. It’s the seventh game Miller has missed this season and he joins Hornets star point guard LaMelo Ball on the bench. Ball continue to rehab his sprained right ankle and hasn’t suited up since Jan. 26 against Houston.

Miller is having a strong first season, posting 16.5 points, four rebounds and 2.3 assists per game with 47 starts under his belt. He’s been as good — or even better — than the Hornets could have expected when they selected him No. 2 overall behind San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama in June.

With or without Miller, the Hornets have to do a better job at finishing the right way over these remaining 23 games. They were on a stretch that had them feeling good about themselves in the aftermath of the All-Star break, picking up wins in Utah and Portland. But they hit speed bumps in their back-to-back games against Milwaukee and could use a turnaround against Philadelphia — a team that’s traditionally given the Hornets fits.