WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Flip Saunders told reporters after the game that Brendan Haywood has a "slight sprain" in his ankle and likely won't play in the next preseason game against Toronto, but the injury isn't serious.
"In a game situation, he probably could have come back, so it was precautionary to keep him out," Saunders said. "It might be tough [for him to play against Toronto] because tomorrow, you're flying, and then it's an afternoon game, so probably not. We're going to give it a chance and see how it looks."
Haywood left the game after just eight minutes and did not return. The play when he got injured happened when Haywood was fouled hard by Drew Gooden about two and a half minutes into the game on a layup. Haywood made the shot, but came away limping a bit. He stayed in the game until the four-minute mark, but didn't return.
So, it appears this is nothing to worry too much about. In fact, when asked whether his "heart was up in his throat" when the play happened, Saunders said, "I thought he'd be okay." Still, if Haywood goes down, so goes the Wizards defense, as we saw tonight.