2 min read • April 16, 2022
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The Atlanta Hawks rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers and advance to face the #1 seed Miami Heat.
However, victory was bittersweet for Atlanta because of the right knee injury to Swiss big man Clint Capela.
The ProBasketballDocs – including former Bulls head team doctor John Hefferon – do not expect Capela to play in the upcoming series against Miami.
Although Game 7 of that series could take place up to two weeks from now, Capela will still be sidelined with the injury.
The 27-year-old left just before halftime after Rookie of the Year favorite Evan Mobley fell into Capela’s right knee.
By video, Capela fouled Mobley by pulling him back, then Mobley fell into Capela’s right knee. Capela’s right foot was planted and the force of Mobley’s fall caused the Hawks center’s knee to hyperextend.
Capela was quickly ruled out for the game.
He has no previous history of significant knee injuries, thus he is dealing with new damage to his knee and facing a longer recovery period. That recovery period could last 3-to-4 weeks for return to play and he likely won't be 100% at any point in the playoffs.
Despite Capela’s injury in the win-or-go-home play-in game, Atlanta rallied to defeat the Cavaliers behind 38 points by Trae Young.
USC product Onyeka Okongwu played heavy minutes in Capela’s absence and will likely continue to do so against the Heat.
Veteran power forward Danilo Galinari also played increased minutes in the play-in victory, but may not be able to sustain that workload over the next series. Gorgui Gieng is the only other center on the roster, but he averaged just 8 minutes per game this season.
Whoever plays significant minutes at center will get the assignment of guarding Bam Adebayo, who averaged 19.2 points, 10 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 38 games since returning from his left thumb injury.
The Miami Heat are 6.5-point favorites in Game 1 and are -405 to win the series, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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