Jonathan Kuminga returns for a surging Hawks squad. Dyson Daniels is out, impacting their rotation strategy against the Nets.
The Atlanta Hawks are going for their eighth straight victory on Thursday night against the Brooklyn Nets.
About two hours before tip-off, Atlanta announced its official injury report ahead of the Nets game, and it features Dyson Daniels being OUT with a left great toe sprain, and Jonathan Kuminga is listed as 'available' with his left knee bone bruise, which has left him sidelined for the last three games.
It will be good to see Kuminga back on the court, and the expectation is that he'll likely see about 20-22 minutes of playing time. The loss of Dyson Daniels means either CJ McCollum of Jalen Johnson will take the ball up the court for the Hawks, but the hope is that his toe sprain isn't too serious, and this is just a precautionary rest day for Dyson, against a struggling Nets team.
The Hawks are 15.5-point favorites against the Nets on Thursday. If Detroit beats the 76ers and Atlanta defeats Brooklyn, the Hawks will be the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is still just a couple of games behind the Heat and Magic for the 6th seed, but the Hawks are proving to be one of the hottest team's in the NBA.
Atlanta will have three more home games before hitting the road again. Thursday night against the Nets, Saturday against the Bucks, and then the home stand caps off with what would have been 'Magic City Monday.' night against the Orland Magic, but the event was called off by the NBA.
As for the injuries, it will be good to see Kuminga back on the floor with fellow forward Jalen Johnson and how that pairing looks from an offensive standpoint.
In the three games that Kuminga has played with the Hawks, Kuminga is averaging 21.3 points per game on 60% shooting, and adding eight rebounds per game. The Hawks are 3-0 when Kuminga has played, although two games were against the Wizards, and the other was against the Trail Blazers.
Either way, the Hawks continue to win basketball games, and that's all that matters. It's hard to believe Jonathan Kuminga being in the lineup negatively affects the team in any way.