Wizards forward Rui Hachimura is expected to play Thursday

After missing more than a month with a bone bruise in his right ankle, Wizards forward Rui Hachimura is expected to play Thursday, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports. 

The team announced that Hachimura, who has been out of action since Nov. 18, will be available for the game at Utah.

Hachimura was originally diagnosed with ankle soreness, but an MRI revealed the bruise. 

Head coach Wes Unseld Jr. offered an encouraging progress report on Hachimura last week, saying he had started one-on-one contact work.

Hachimura’s return is welcome news for the Wizards, who had lost 10 straight games before winning Tuesday night in Phoenix. 

Washington is 12th in the East at 12-20, but the team is starting to get some of its rotation players back after a string of injuries. 

Bradley Beal returned Sunday after missing two weeks with a hamstring issue, and Delon Wright may be back soon after being sidelined since Oct. 25 with a strained hamstring.

There’s more injury news to pass along:

• Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been placed in the league’s health and safety protocols and will miss Thursday’s game against the Spurs, according to Christian Clark of NOLA.com. Clark notes that Williamson was able to play 40 minutes Monday, but he wasn’t at practice Wednesday. New Orleans also plays on Friday and may be facing an extended stretch without Williamson and Brandon Ingram, whom coach Willie Green has already confirmed will miss both games.
• Sixers coach Doc Rivers told reporters Wednesday that Tyrese Maxey, who has a broken bone in his left foot, is improving, but there’s still no set timetable for him to return, tweets Kyle Neubeck of The Philly Voice. “We will see him at some point,” Rivers said. “I just don’t know when.”
• Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins may be targeting Christmas Day to try to return from a right adductor strain, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Wiggins is sitting out Wednesday's game at Brooklyn, along with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Donte DiVincenzo and JaMychal Green.