After suffering an embarrassing loss to the nine-win Orlando Magic on Wednesday night, the Hawks announced that center Clint Capela will miss the next one to two weeks after suffering a strained right calf late in the game.
With a little over five minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Hawks 135-124 road loss, Capela exited the game with what was described, at the time, as tightness in his calf. An MRI performed on Thursday revealed the strain. Capela logged 22 minutes in a lackluster team effort defensively, allowing the Magic to score a franchise record 50 points in the first quarter. While on the floor, Capela shot 8-for-10 for 16 points but added only six rebounds, his lowest total since the loss to Toronto on Halloween night.
For the season, Capela is averaging 12.1 points and ranks third in the NBA with 12.0 rebounds per game after leading the league last season. Capela’s presence will definitely be missed on the defensive end of the floor but Onyeka Okongwu, who tallied 15 points and 11 rebounds in 26 minutes on Wednesday, will likely log more minutes in his absence but it leaves the Hawks thin up front.
The injury to Capela is just another setback for the struggling Hawks, who have gone 3-8 over the past 11 games. For a team that has lived and died by the ability to shoot long-range, the Hawks are second-to-last in the league in 3PT% with a mark of 32.2. The issues seem to be compounded by the recent string of injuries suffered by the team. John Collins has been out of action for seven straight games with an ankle injury and is considered “day-to-day”. Star guard Dejounte Murray has missed the past week with an ankle injury as well. Trae Young sat out Monday’s loss to Memphis with tightness in his lower back before returning against the Magic.