Hawks C Landale out for start of Knicks series

ATLANTA --Atlanta HawkscenterJock Landalewill miss at least the first two weeks of the NBA playoffs because of his sprained right ankle.

Landale averaged 9.1 points and 4.1 rebounds in 23 regular-season games with Atlanta. He sustained a high ankle sprain on April 1 at Orlando. The Hawks say he "is progressing in his rehabilitation" and "will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks." An update is expected after his reevaluation.

Atlanta is the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs and opens its first-round series at the third-seededNew York Knickson Saturday.

The Hawks addressed a lack of depth at center --Kristaps Porzingishad been unavailable much of the season before beingtradedin February to theGolden State Warriors, andN'Faly Danteis out for the year -- by acquiring Landale from Utah for cash considerations in early February. He never played for the Jazz and was with them less than a day after being part of an eight-player trade involving Memphis.

Landale, 30, averaged 11.3 points and 6.5 rebounds in 45 games for Memphis.

The Australian is in his fifth NBA season. He made his NBA debut with San Antonio in the 2021-22 season and also has played for Phoenix and Houston.