Atlanta Hawks: Paul Millsap Out Friday Against Bucks
The Atlanta Hawks will be without Paul Millsap for the fourth consecutive game.
The Atlanta Hawks just can’t catch a break. Wednesday night they lost to the Washington Wizards. It was their fifth loss in a row. Three of those losses have come without their best player, Paul Millsap, who has missed three consecutive games due to left knee soreness.
It looks like Millsap is not on track to return in time for Friday’s meeting with the Milwaukee Bucks. According to an interview Mike Budenholzer gave on 92.9 The Game in Atlanta, Millsap will miss Friday’s game and will not even travel with the team to Milwaukee. Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reported the news.
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This is another crushing blow to Atlanta’s season. Their grasp on fifth place in the Eastern Conference feels tenuous at this point. Their lead over the Indiana Pacers and the aforementioned Bucks is just one game. A loss to Milwaukee would see them tied with the Bucks with 10 games remaining in the regular season.
I’d have more optimism about their chances Friday if at any point this season they had shown an ability to win without Millsap.
The Hawks are 0-6 this season without Millsap in the lineup. He’s their best offensive player and their best defensive player by a wide margin. And to think, some folks questioned whether or not he should have been an All-Star.
Atlanta scores 107.4 points per 100 possessions with him on the court, compared to 101.5 points per 100 possessions without him. The Hawks allow 109.5 points per 100 possessions without Millsap and just 105.8 points per 100 possessions with him.
Through 65 games, he’s averaging 18.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game on 44.3 percent shooting.
Yeah, he’s pretty good. Their schedule gets a bit easier next week with games against the Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns, and Philadelphia 76ers, so Atlanta falling completely out of the playoffs is unlikely. Still, it’s possible that they could slip to the seventh seed or even the dreaded eighth seed if this losing streak continues.
Next: The Losing Streak Grows To Five Games
Hurry back, Paul.