Atlanta Hawks starting center Clint Capela left the team’s elimination play-in game against the host Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night with a hyperextended right knee and will not return.
Capela, 27, played 13 minutes and totaled seven points on 3-of-3 shooting and eight rebounds before getting hurt with 30.7 seconds left in the second quarter. Cleveland’s Evan Mobley, fouled from behind by Capela, tumbled into Capela’s leg.
The ninth-seeded Hawks were trying to defeat the eighth-seeded Cavaliers for the final Eastern Conference berth into the main bracket of the NBA playoffs.
Capela was Atlanta’s leading rebounder this season at 11.9 boards per game. He also averaged 11.1 points and 1.3 blocks per contest over 74 games (73 starts).
–Field Level Media