Clint Capela suffered a right knee injury on Friday night during the Hawks vs. Cavaliers play-in game.
The Atlanta center had to be helped off the court after he fouled Cleveland rookie Evan Mobley from behind and pulled him backwards. Mobley ended up landing on Capela’s right knee.
After being evaluated and undergoing an MRI on Saturday, it was discovered that Capela’s right knee has “no structural damage,” per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. He is expected to be evaluated again in a week.
It is unknown at this time how long Capela is expected to be sidelined.
The evaluation on Capela’s right knee hyperextension agrees with the Atlanta’s initial thoughts on the injury not being too serious.
This is a big loss for the Hawks heading into their round one series vs. No. 1 Heat. The center leads the team in rebounds with an 11.9 average per game.
Game 1 vs. the Heat is on Sunday, followed by Games 2 and 3 on Tuesday and Friday. If the team waits to evaluate Capela until next Saturday, it is possible that he could miss the entirety of this series. However, there is still a chance he will be able to play in the series at some point, avoiding the worst case scenario.
