Hawks guard Bazemore out for season with bone bruise

Hawks veteran guard Kent Bazemore will miss the rest of the season with a bone bruise in his right knee, the team confirmed on Monday. Bazemore suffered the injury on Sunday during a game against the Bulls at Philips Arena.

The Hawks (20-47) were officially eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday and have 15 games remaining. Their final game is on April 10.

Bazemore, 28, had a down season in 2016-17, his first after signing a four-year, $70 million contract. But he’s been arguably the Hawks’ best player this season while starting 65 games at shooting guard. Bazemore is the team’s best perimeter defender, its second-leading scorer (12.9 points per game) and leader in steals (1.5).