Orlando Magic rookie Jalen Suggs is expected to play Friday on the road against the Charlotte Hornets after a 20-game absence, the team announced.
Suggs suffered a fractured right thumb on Nov. 29 versus the Philadelphia 76ers when Joel Embiid inadvertently slapped him on the hand. Suggs checked out with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter and would not return to the contest.
Magic head coach Jamahl Mosley on Tuesday said Suggs could return to play on the back-end of their three-game road trip that started on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards.