Hornets' Cody Zeller to return Friday vs. Bulls

The Charlotte Hornets are set to get a starter back in the lineup for Friday's home game against the Chicago Bulls. 

Per The Associated Press (h/t ESPN), center Cody Zeller is expected to play against Chicago and return from the broken bone in his left hand that he suffered in the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Dec. 23. 

Zeller hasn't played since that night. 

The 28-year-old participated in a Wednesday scrimmage and has since been listed as probable for Friday's outing by coach James Borrego. It's believed that Zeller won't play under any type of minutes restriction.

“Cody looked good out there," teammate P.J. Washington told reporters on Wednesday, according to Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. "He definitely looked like he was in shape and was rebounding the ball, and scoring the ball pretty good and playing defense. 

"It’s always good to have a 7-footer doing those things out there." 

Zeller scored six points and recorded three rebounds at Cleveland until he was sidelined by the injury. Charlotte fell to the Cavs and then went 6-7 without Zeller in the lineup. 

The Hornets fell to 6-8 overall via three consecutive losses. They'll play at the Orlando Magic on Sunday and Monday.