The Atlanta Hawks may have gotten the win in Game 1 of their series against the Brooklyn Nets, but injuries are a concern for the team heading forward as the pressure is on to have a deep run in the postseason. All eyes are on the progress of Al Horford and his pinky finger along with Paul Millsap and his shoulder as both players will be crucial entering Game 2 against the Brooklyn Nets.
Horford is a concern. The All Star center has made it clear he will be active in Game 2 against the Nets after dislocating his pinking finger in Game 1, but teammates are concerned just how healthy he is. Horford is critical to the Hawks. The center has been primarily healthy all season and it has paid off as he leads the defensive front. It is unclear if the finger injury will hurt his shooting or not. Millsap told media that his shoulder is getting much better and he will no longer be wearing the protective pad after it messed with his shooting motion in Game 1. Millsap finished with just six points in Game 1 and that must improve if the Hawks are going to go far in the playoffs.
Kyle Korver led the way in the Game 1 with 21 points in the 99-92 win. Horford finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds after missing a portion of the fourth quarter following the finger injury. Mike Scott was limited to just 10 minutes in the game as he recovers from a back injury. That has left Jeff Teague and DeMarre Carroll to carry the load with Korver. The guard looked every bit the sharp shooter he has been this season as he hit his last five 3-points in the game to pull away from the Nets. Meanwhile, Carroll added 17 points while averaging 17.2 points against the Nets this season.
Brooklyn will try and ride Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young again in Game 2 after the duo combined for 32 points and 24 rebounds. The Nets held the advantage with scoring in the paint and rebounds over the Hawks, but failed to get their 3-point shooting going which held the team back. Both Bojan Bogdanovic and Joe Johnson struggled in Game 1 and will need to improve to get Brooklyn the win.
Watch Nets vs. Hawks Game 2 live stream, click here.