The injuries are piling up for the Hawks, who are now without Dejounte Murray, John Collins and De’Andre Hunter.
Hawks guard Dejounte Murray will likely be sidelined for two weeks with a left ankle sprain, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, adding to Atlanta’s growing list of significant injuries.
Murray was forced out of Wednesday’s 113-89 road loss to the New York Knicks with a sprained left ankle in the first quarter.
Hawks All-Star Dejounte Murray is expected to miss two weeks with a left ankle sprain, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Atlanta now has Murray, John Collins (ankle) and De’Andre Hunter (hip) sidelined.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 8, 2022
The Hawks entered Wednesday’s game already without forwards John Collins and De’Andre Hunter and wound up trailing by as many as 28 points to suffer their fifth loss in seven games. Atlanta takes on Brooklyn Friday in a road game against the Nets (7:30 p.m. ET, NBA League Pass).
“Obviously we were trying to figure out a rhythm with Dejounte, and with guys being in and out right now it’s tough,” Hawks star guard Trae Young said. “But we’ve just got to fight through this time and whenever we get everybody back we’ll be really good.”
Dejounte Murray exits the game after landing awkwardly vs. the Knicks.
Murray, an All-Star last season with the San Antonio Spurs, is in the middle of his first season with the Hawks. He is averaging 20.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 1.8 steals per game while shooting 45.2% overall and 36.6% on 3-pointers.
He and Young are a crucial part of the Hawks remaining in the thick of the Eastern Conference chase. Atlanta (13-12) is currently fifth in the East and trails the Milwaukee Bucks by 5 1/2 games for the No. 2 spot but is also just two games ahead of the Miami Heat (11-14) for No. 10 in the East.
After playing the Nets on Friday, the Hawks return home to host the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 11 before playing three straight games on the road.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.