Injuries are beginning to take a toll on the Hawks’ starting unit.
In the first quarter of a loss to the Knicks on Dec. 7, Dejounte Murray went down with an apparent ankle injury that would end his night less than four minutes into the game. Murray joins a growing list of injured Hawks that already includes two key starters in John Collins and De’Andre Hunter, while Trae Young has dealt with a shoulder ailment that has him in and out of the lineup.
What’s next for Murray and the Hawks? Here is what we know about his injury and when he could return to the floor.
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What is Dejounte Murray’s injury?
The Hawks quickly ruled Murray’s injury as a sprained left ankle.
Murray suffered the injury when coming down from a jump shot that he was fouled on. He landed on the foot of Knicks forward RJ Barrett and stayed down for some time, reaching for his left ankle. The foul was upgraded to a Flagrant 1 and Murray sank both free throws before being subbed out less than a minute later.
Here is the play where it happened:
Dejounte Murray will not return to the Hawks-Knicks game after an apparent injury to his left ankle. pic.twitter.com/MlBaZ7t5VH
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) December 8, 2022
Through 25 games with the Hawks, Murray has adjusted well to his new home, posting averages of 20.8 points, 6.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game while shooting 45.2 percent from the field and 36.6 percent from 3-point range.
How long will Dejounte Murray be out?
On Dec. 8, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Murray is expected to miss two weeks of action.
The updated timeline comes after Murray received an MRI on his injured ankle to determine the severity. We will continue to provide updates around Murray’s status moving forward as they become available.
Hawks schedule 2022-23
Here is Atlanta’s schedule for the two weeks following Murray’s diagnosis:
Date | Opponent | Time (ET) | National TV |
Dec. 9 | at Nets | 7:30 p.m. | — |
Dec. 11 | vs. Bulls | 6:30 p.m. | — |
Dec. 12 | at Grizzlies | 8 p.m. | NBA TV |
Dec. 14 | at Magic | 7 p.m. | — |
Dec. 16 | at Hornets | 7 p.m. | — |
Dec. 19 | vs. Magic | 7:30 p.m. | — |
Dec. 21 | vs. Bulls | 7:30 p.m. | — |
Dec. 23 | vs. Pistons | 7:30 p.m. | — |