Atlanta Hawks DVOA, Stats, & NBA Rankings

Cleveland Cavaliers guard/forward Caris LeVert (knee) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Charlotte Hornets. He will sit out this contest because of left knee soreness. With the playoffs approaching, Cleveland is prioritizing their team's health. Donovan Mitchell (knee) will also be sidelined, while Darius Garland (back) is considered doubtful, so it remains to be seen who will lead the backcourt in the regular season finale. Once the playoffs begin, LeVert will be relied upon as a crucial piece of the Cavaliers' rotation and will need to play well if they hope to make a deep postseason run.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela will be in the lineup on Friday against Minnesota. He was initially listed as questionable for the game, as Atlanta considered resting Capela, but the Swiss big man has been upgraded to available. However, the Hawks have nothing left to play for, so Capela's role could be limited in Friday's contest. It's a tough matchup for him as well against a team that boasts a strong frontcourt.

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (rest) has been listed as questionable against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday due to rest. As of Friday, the Hawks are locked into the play-in tournament and they're two games behind the Chicago Bulls for the ninth seed. If they give Capela a rest day, it seems like the team is okay with heading into the play-in as the tenth seed with the most difficult road to the postseason. If Capela plays, he'd be a solid DFS option as his price tag would be on the cheaper side, but if he's sidelined, Bruno Fernando would be the main streaming option.

New Orleans Pelicans forward/center Larry Nance Jr. (personal) won't be available on Thursday versus Sacramento. He comes out of the lineup for personal reasons after playing in each of the last 12 games. Nance Jr.'s absence should mean a busy night for Jonas Valanciunas against his fellow Lithuanian big man Domantas Sabonis. In four previous head-to-head battles this season, Valanciunas has logged 14.5 points and 11.8 rebounds in 25.0 minutes.

The Atlanta Hawks say forward Jalen Johnson (ankle) has a Grade 2 lateral right ankle sprain and will be re-evaluated in three weeks, while center Onyeka Okongwu (toe) has undergone a non-surgical procedure to address ongoing inflammation in his left big toe and will be re-evaluated in four weeks. Unless the Hawks go on an unlikely deep playoff run, the timetables effectively rule out the two players for the remainder of the season. Their absences leave significant voids in Atlanta's frontcourt going forward, with Clint Capela having to dominate minutes down low and Bruno Fernando playing the backup center role in Okongwu's stead. Over 18 games without Johnson this season, De'Andre Hunter is putting up 16.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.7 steals, and 2.3 three-pointers per contest and has hit double digits in scoring during each outing.