Bembry probable today vs. Celtics

The Hawks rank near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, but they haven’t had their full com- plement of rotation players through 15 games. Now their injury luck appears to be improving just as the sched- ule toughens.

The Hawks (3-12) listed guard/forward DeAndre’ Bembry as probable on its injury report for today’s game against the Celtics (14-2) at Philips Arena. Bembry had right wrist surgery Oct. 24 after sustaining a fracture during the first game of the season. The team said at the time Bembry would miss four to six weeks.

Bembry’s return should boost the Hawks’ depth at the wing positions behind starters Kent Bazem ore and Taurean Prince. Bembry played sparingly as a rookie in 2016-17 but has potential as a defender and playmaker. As the only Hawks wing reserve with length, Bembry offers coach Mike Budenholzer more flexibility in his matchups.

Bembry’s pending activation follows the return of Ersan Ilyasova, the starting power forward to begin the season. Ilyasova played 18 minutes off the bench Wednesday against the Kings after he’d missed eight consecutive games and 10 overall with a knee injury.

Reserve forward Mike Muscala (knee) participated in “70 to 80 percent” of practice Friday, Budenholzer said. Muscala, who has missed the past four games, is listed as questionable for today’s game.

The positive injury news should further buoy the Hawks after they were in good spirits following the 126-80 victory over the Kings. It was their first home victory in five tries, and the 46-point victory margin was the largest in the history of the franchise.