Magic will be without Jonathan Isaac to open trip at Pelicans

Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac will miss at least one more game.

The Magic have listed Isaac as out for Monday’s road game against the Pelicans because of a strained right hamstring.

He’ll undergo further evaluation and won’t travel with the team to New Orleans but could rejoin the team during its three-game trip. His status is being assessed on a game-to-game basis.

The Magic (25-36) play the Milwaukee Bucks Wednesday and Charlotte Hornets Friday as part of the swing.

Orlando is taking a cautious approach with Isaac after he was sidelined for 2½ years before returning to the court last month.

Isaac was sidelined from August 2020-January 11 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee on Aug. 2, 2020, during the league’s restart in its Disney World bubble.

He had surgery on the right hamstring last March while rehabbing from the left knee injury.

Isaac made his return with the Magic’s G League affiliate, the Lakeland Magic, last month and played three games for Lakeland before making his return to Orlando in the Jan. 23 win over the Boston Celtics.

He’s averaged 5 points, 4 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 11.3 minutes (11 games) since returning. Isaac sat for Saturday’s home loss to the Indiana Pacers after being ruled out an hour before tipoff because of left knee injury management.

Isaac, who’s had a playing time restriction of 8-14 minutes since returning, played a season-high 16 minutes in Thursday’s win over the Detroit Pistons.

“Just a little pain,” coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Just monitoring him as we continue to go through.”

Caleb Houstan (G League assignment with Lakeland) and two-way guard Kevon Harris (transferred to Lakeland) won’t be available against the Pelicans.

Houstan averaged 17 points (36.7% shooting, 50% on 3s), 6 rebounds and 2 steals in the back-to-back losses to the Cleveland Charge Friday and Saturday. Harris averaged 12 points (29% shooting) and 5.5 rebounds in those two games.

Lakeland plays a road game against the Motor City Cruise Monday in Detroit.

Houstan and Harris could rejoin Orlando in Milwaukee ahead of Wednesday’s game, with Lakeland’s next game not being until next Sunday vs. Grand Rapids Gold at RP Funding Center.

This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.

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