Hornets still missing Jefferson, 3 others Friday

All that's left is the math.

The Charlotte Hornets' 2014-15 season is, for all intents and purposes, over. Three games back of the final Eastern Conference playoff spot with four games to go, the Hornets will have their work cut out as they try to stay alive Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Hornets will be without Al Jefferson, Lance Stephenson, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Cody Zeller for the game, as they were Wednesday in a blowout loss.

Jefferson seems a likely candidate to be shut down for the season, with little reason left to ask the center to play through knee soreness. Kidd-Gilchrist, meanwhile, has been assumed done for the year for a while due to a nasty ankle sprain, while Zeller (shoulder soreness) and Stephenson (toe) have unclear timelines for return.

All of this means that one of the surprises of the 2013-14 season won't be back in the playoffs, thanks in large part to a barrage of injuries throughout the season. Luckily for head coach Steve Clifford, last season's playoff berth guaranteed his contract for next season, though it'd be tough to pin this year's result on the bench boss, anyway.