Hornets' Kidd-Gilchrist out through All-Star break with hamstring injury

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will miss the Charlotte Hornets' final two games before the All-Star break and will be re-evaluated after that, the team announced Sunday. 

An MRI confirmed a mild right hamstring strain for the forward, who left Saturday's game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Kidd-Gilchrist missed roughly a month earlier in the season due to a stress reaction in his right foot. He is averaging 10.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the surging Hornets.

Jeff Taylor will start in Kidd-Gilchrist's place Sunday against the Indiana Pacers.

The Hornets, already without Kemba Walker, will need a healthy Kidd-Gilchrist down the stretch. The team's recent run of 12 wins in their last 16 games has been buoyed largely by their improved defense, of which Kidd-Gilchrist is a key component.

The Hornets' next two games are at home against the Pacers and Detroit Pistons, two teams chasing them in the race for the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots. Charlotte will then have 10 days off before hosting the Oklahoma City Thunder after the break.

At 22-28, the Hornets currently sit seventh in the East, just one game clear of the eighth- and ninth-place Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets.