Hawks provide update on center Onyeka Okongwu
The Hawks provided an update on big Onyeka Okongwu on Thursday.
Okongwu left Wednesday night’s game in Boston after sustaining a dental fracture during the fourth quarter. The team said he underwent a successful dental procedure Thursday morning in Atlanta.
The Hawks listed him as out for Thursday night’s game against the Rockets, as well as and Saturday’s game versus the Pacers in Indiana.
His status will be day-to-day moving forward.
Okongwu’s injury occurred with 6:43 to play in the game as Celtics wing Jaylen Brown drove to the basket. The Hawks cut off Brown’s initial look and he spun to create space as Okongwu stepped up to help defend. But Brown’s elbows went a little too hard and hit Okongwu in the mouth.
The Hawks’ big man went to the ground holding his mouth before realizing that his teeth had dislodged. He immediately signaled to the bench and ran to the locker room.
Okongwu has been the Hawks’ most durable big man, having played 47 of the 48 games played so far. The Hawks elevated Okongwu to the starting unit with veteran big Kristaps Porzingis out for several stretches of games in the first half of the season.
Through 47 games, Okongwu has averaged a career-high 16.3 points, while grabbing 7.9 rebounds per game. Okongwu has also had a career shooting year, having made 36.7% of his 3-point shooting attempts.
About the Author
