The Atlanta Hawks lose game, three players as COVID outbreak continues
The Atlanta Hawks whittled what was as much as 14-point, second-half lead down to three points in the fourth quarter with 7:43 remaining before falling to the Chicago Bulls 130-118. They also whittled their COVID list down, getting Trae Young back literally hours before tip-off.
He went for 29 points, 12 assists, and was 12-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Tuesday Adrian Wojnarowski brought more bad news as Bogdan Bogdanovic, Gorgui Dieng, and Malik Ellison entered health and safety protocols, bringing the number of players on their COVID list to 13 including John Collins and Kevin Huerter.
Bogdanovic had 20 points in over 41 minutes while Dieng had 12 points in 21-plus minutes and Ellison was a DNP.
A COVID outbreak has the Atlanta Hawks reeling just as much as mounting losses
Young was the first player to enter protocols for the Hawks and now there has to be concern over a possible second stint. With the new guidelines announced on Monday, he would have to miss six days instead of the current 14-day period. The CDC also announced shorter guidelines, going from a 10-day to a five-day isolation period following a positive test.
Under the new rules, the Hawks could get several players back from protocols. Huerter, Danilo Gallinari, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Lou Williams against the Bulls on Wednesday.
Collins would be able to return in the middle of the road trip.
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However, during his weekly radio hit on 92.9 The Game in which he first gave the word the outbreak had worsened, Travis Schlenk expressed concern over players testing positive while they are on the road, complicating their ability to get back to Atlanta.
It’s still a big blow to a team struggling to find its footing, even before the outbreak. The Hawks started the season 4-3 but have proceeded to have seven-game streaks of both the winning and losing variety. They’ve gone from 8-1 at home to now being 8-9 at State Farm Arena following the loss to the Bulls.
Atlanta also announced the signing of forwards Justin Tillman and Cam Oliver as well as guard Chris Clemons to 10-day hardship contracts.
Wednesday’s matchup will also start a six-game road trip.
The Hawks had their six-game road winning streak snapped on Christmas by the New York Knicks and the last time they were away for an extended time, they went 0-7.
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They will then have a home-and-home with the Miami Heat after that but just before getting their third crack at the Knicks. It’s a brutal stretch for the Hawks and they are going through the worst of their belated COVID outbreak.