Atlanta forward DeMarre Carroll left Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night with a left knee sprain, an injury that threatens his status for the remainder of the series.
Following the Cavaliers’ 97-89 win, Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said Carroll will have a MRI on Thursday to determine the severity of the sprain.
"He’s such a great teammate," Budenholzer said. "Everybody is just concerned about DeMarre. … I’m hoping he’s ready to help us as soon as possible."
Carroll was hurt when his knee appeared to buckle as he was driving to the basket with about 5 minutes remaining in the game.
Players, coaches and trainers gathered around Carroll on the baseline before he was helped to his feet. He couldn’t put pressure on the leg as he was helped off the floor and to the locker room.
"It was hard to watch," Atlanta’s Kyle Korver said. "We love DeMarre like a brother. … We’ll see tomorrow how he is. Obviously, it didn’t look good."
Carroll has been Atlanta’s leading scorer in the post-season with 17.1 points per game. He also is the team’s top defensive player and was assigned to Cavaliers star LeBron James most of the game.
Carroll had five points and two steals.
