Hawks’ Sefolosha is out 6-8 weeks with a calf injury
Kent Bazemore will see increased minutes tonight for the Hawks, who are 3.5-point ‘chalk’ at New Orleans.
Published on Monday, 2/2/15 at 1:20 p.m. Eastern.
Atlanta has been able to stay healthy for the most part this season, as the team has raced out to the best start in franchise history and a huge lead in the Eastern Conference.
But no team gets through an 82-game regular season perfectly healthy, and the Hawks are no exception. Reserve forward Thabo Sefolosha was injured in Friday’s win over Portland and will miss the next 6-8 weeks with a calf injury.
Sefolosha, who was signed away from Oklahoma City this past offseason, has been an integral part of Atlanta’s second unit. He is an ace defender with the ability to guard three different positions (2, 3 and 4). In 45 games, Sefolosha has averaged 5.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Making matters worse, Atlanta starting small forward DeMarre Carroll has been downgraded to ‘doubtful’ for tonight’s game at New Orleans. Carroll is nursing an Achilles’ injury. Also, Shelvin Mack remains ‘out’ with a calf injury.
Therefore, Atlanta will be without three players tonight when it attempts to extend its franchise-record winning streak to 20 games in The Big Easy.
The Pelicans were five-point underdogs but after star Anthony Davis was upgraded to ‘probable’ this morning, the number moved to 3.5. The Hawks have taken the cash in 12 consecutive games as a single-digit favorites.
