MRI reveals no structural damage in knee for Hawks’ Clint Capela

Clint Capela’s MRI on Saturday afternoon in Miami revealed no structural damage in his right knee, a good sign for the Hawks center and the team overall.

ESPN first reported the news, which a person familiar with the situation confirmed to the AJC, adding there’s not a firm timeline for Capela’s return or an estimate of how much time he’s expected to miss ahead of the Hawks’ first-round playoff series vs. the Heat, which begins Sunday in Miami. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Capela will be re-evaluated in a week (meaning he would miss at least one week) and “will clearly miss significant time in this Hawks-Heat playoff series, if he’s even able to return before it’s over.”

Capela hyperextended his right knee in the second quarter of Friday’s play-in win in Cleveland, fouling Evan Mobley with Mobley then falling on Capela’s knee. It’s a huge loss for the Hawks, with Capela starting to dominate the past couple of months the way he did on last year’s playoff run, anchoring the defense, rebounding and finishing around the rim better.