Young out for Hawks vs. Heat

Capela questionable for Friday with a back injury

The Miami Heat will find themselves against a debilitated Atlanta Hawks roster in Friday night’s playoff-seeding road showdown at State Farm Arena.

The Hawks, a game ahead of the Heat for the No. 5 in the Eastern Conference, confirmed Thursday that guard Trae Young will be out after spraining his left ankle during the third quarter of the Atlanta’s overtime loss Wednesday night to the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden.

Initial X-rays came back negative, with an MRI then conducted Thursday.

Also listed as out for the Hawks are De’Andre Hunter (right knee soreness), Cam Reddish (right Achilles soreness) and Kris Dunn (right ankle surgery).

Downgraded to questionable was center Clint Capela, due to a back contusion. Capela has averaged 19.8 points, 19.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 35.2 minutes on .646 shooting in his last six games.

Upgraded for the Hawks were Danilo Gallinari, who is questionable with right foot soreness, and Tony Snell, who is doubtful with a sprained right ankle. Both have been out for the Hawks.

“It’s just, unfortunately for us, we’ve just had a number of injuries throughout this season, and going down the stretch with 12, 13 games remaining, we need bodies,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “We’re really limited with the bodies that we have. I think these guys are giving us all that they have. You’re playing a very tight schedule where games are every other day. So it’s a challenge for us. But a lot of other teams are having to deal with this.

“It’s part of adjusting, adapting to what you have, who’s healthy, who’s ready to go. And I think our trainers are doing the best they can to try to get the guys healthy and back out on the floor.”

Young largely was held in check by a trapping and double-teaming Heat defensive approach in the teams’ first two meetings, closing with 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting in the Heat’s 109-99 victory Feb. 28 at AmericanAirlines Arena, and then 18 points on 5-of-12 shooting in the Hawks’ 94-80 victory two nights later on the Heat’s court.

Young exited Wednesday’s loss 15th in the NBA in scoring at 24.4 points per game.

“This is really a tough time to have injuries, but it’s what we have to deal with,” McMillan said. “We have to get some rest, heal up and get ourselves ready for Miami.”

Heat healthier

The Heat’s injury report was shorter than prior to recent games, with Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Bam Adebayo (knee) no longer on the official NBA listings. Butler returned in Wednesday night’s victory over the San Antonio Spurs after a two-game absence, while Adebayo had missed just the prior game.

Also off the injury report was Andre Iguodala, who sat out Wednesday night’s victory with what was listed as hip soreness, but what ostensibly was a night off for rest.

Tyler Herro, who returned Wednesday after a one-game absence, is listed as questionable with a sore right foot, but likely again will play.

Victor Oladipo remains out with a sore right knee, with Gabe Vincent (knee) listed as probable, as has been the case for weeks.

The game against the Hawks opens a back-to-back set that concludes Saturday night at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Chicago Bulls.

Growth seen

While KZ Okpala’s opportunities often are determined by the availability of the team’s veterans, Wednesday night’s absence of Andre Iguodala and the Heat’s significant use of zone defense created an opening that Okpala seized upon against the Spurs.

“I made the comment before a recent game that our young players have gotten significantly better. He’s one of those guys,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of the second-year forward. “And it would be tough to really notice that unless you’re around all of our meetings and practices and shootarounds and all the player-development work behind the scenes.

“I see it. The staff sees it. His teammates see it.

“And as a young player, you have to do everything you can to improve and be prepared for those moments when your number is called.”

The offensive end remains a struggle, with Wednesday’s 1 of 6 in San Antonio dropping the 2019 second-round pick to 3 of 24 from the field since his return from 10 games in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.

“He’s got a unique skill set defensively,” Spoelstra said. “He’s big. He’s strong. He can really move laterally. He just has to stay with it and get better with the details.”