DeMarre Carroll was a game-time decision – up until 15 minutes before opening tip.
Carroll was in the starting lineup for the Hawks against the Cavaliers in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals Friday night at Philips Arena.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer would not commit to a status of Carroll after the small forward suffered a left knee sprain in Game 1. Carroll was at the team shootaround Friday morning after which Budenholzer labeled him a game-time decision for the 8:30 p.m. game. At his pregame press conference, Budenholzer said Carroll would warmup before a decision was made.
The Hawks turned in a preliminary lineup that had both Carroll and Kent Bazemore listed as the starting small forward. Carroll warmed up on the practice court an hour before game time and was seen grimacing during the session. He was re-examined by trainers.
Then, minutes before the official start, Carroll was named the starter and he joined teammates for warm-ups.
Carroll is the Hawks leading scorer in the postseason and is the primary defender of Cavaliers star LeBron James.
“He gives them certain things at both ends of the court that are not easy to replace,” Cavaliers coach David Blatt said before the game. “They have other good players who can step in and do good things for them.”
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