76ers Rival Atlanta Hawks Suffers Another Key Setback

The Atlanta Hawks' status in the Eastern Conference's early playoff picture could soon change.

Although the Philadelphia 76ers have a tie-breaker over the Atlanta Hawks, considering Philly has defeated Atlanta in two of three matchups, the Hawks are in front of Philly in the Eastern Conference standings.

How long will that last? Well, Atlanta enters a tough situation as injuries continue to take some of their key players off the floor. 

The Hawks entered their December 2 matchup against the Denver Nuggets without two starters on the floor. De’Andre Hunter, who’s been dealing with a hip issue, is listed as day-to-day. Hunter missed the Hawks’ last four games as a result.

Along with Hunter is the veteran forward, John Collins. After suffering an ankle injury recently, Collins is reportedly on pace to miss a minimum of two weeks, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

In the absence of Hunter and Collins, the Hawks have gone 1-3, with a win over the Nuggets and losses against the Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, and Brooklyn Nets.

Unfortunately, the situation gets tougher for Atlanta. After checking in for three minutes on Wednesday night in the matchup against the Knicks, the Hawks lost Dejounte Murray to an ankle sprain. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Murray is on pace to miss at least two weeks worth of action.

Hawks All-Star Dejounte Murray is expected to miss two weeks with a left ankle sprain, sources tell me and @sam_amick. Atlanta now has Murray, John Collins (ankle) and De'Andre Hunter (hip) sidelined.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 8, 2022

The timing of Murray’s setback is certainly concerning for Atlanta. Not only are the Hawks on a current two-game losing streak, but they’ve gone 4-6 over their last ten games. Without a star like Murray, who averages 21 points, six assists, and five rebounds, Atlanta’s backcourt will look quite different over this two-week stretch. 

And with a 13-13 record, the Hawks could realistically slide down the Eastern Conference ranks, allowing other playoff contenders, such as the Sixers take advantage.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.