Hawks lose Kyle Korver for rest of NBA playoffs

Atlanta Hawks 3-point sharpshooter Kyle Korver will miss the remainder of the team’s NBA playoff run with a severe right ankle sprain, the club announced Saturday.

The 34-year-old American guard suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Friday’s 94-82 home loss to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Cavaliers lead Atlanta 2-0 in the best-ofseven series to decide which team will advance to the NBA Finals against the Western Conference champions, either the Golden State Warriors or Houston Rockets.

Australian Matthew Dellavedova, a Cleveland guard, rolled into Korver as both chased a loose ball to cause the injury.

An MRI exam performed Saturday confirmed Korver’s severe sprain after post-game Xrays had been negative.

Korver averaged 12.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists for the Hawks this season and connected on 49.2 percent of his 3point attempts. In 14 playoff appearances, Korver averaged 11.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

Korver, an NBA AllStar for the first time in his career this season, owns the NBA record for consecutive games with a 3-point basket at 127 and the best 3-point accuracy percentage in a single season at 53.6, set with Utah in the 2009-2010 campaign.

Over 13 NBA seasons, Korver has averaged 10 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game.