Atlanta Hawks’ DeMarre Carroll has bone bruise

ATLANTA — Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll breathed a sigh of relief Thursday when tests revealed his left knee injury was only a bone bruise and hyperextension with no structural or ligament damage.

Carroll exited Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals, a 97-89 Hawks’ loss, with 4:59 to play in the game and needed help leaving the court. He will officially be listed as questionable, the team announced.

“We’re hopeful,” coach Mike Budenholzer said of the Hawks’ outlook for having Carroll in Game 2 on Friday. “We’ll continue to monitor it over the next 24 hours.”

Carroll’s knee buckled and appeared to hyperextend as he planted in the lane on a fast break he started with a steal of a pass from LeBron James.

Carroll hit the deck under the Hawks’ basket. He was helped to the locker room and approached at midcourt by James, who pounded Carroll on the back and tapped the top of his head as he exited the floor.

The Hawks’ leading scorer in the postseason at 17.1 points per game entering the conference finals, Carroll was diagnosed Wednesday night with a sprained knee. However, he put no weight on his left leg and Carroll could be limited in this series. Bone bruises, depending on the severity, can require recovery measured in weeks, not hours or days.

Thursday’s news should be relatively positive for the Hawks but reduced minutes might be a consideration.

“Somebody has to step up,” said point guard Jeff Teague, who led the Hawks with 27 points in the loss that pushes home-court advantage to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Budenholzer said the team will figure out before Game 2 what gives the team the best chance in defending James.

The best chance Wednesday was not Paul Millsap, who found himself checking James for long stretches because of lineup combinations and a tremendous shooting night by J.R. Smith. The Cavaliers’ sixth man made 8 of his first 10 attempts from 3-point range and scored 28 points.

“DeMarre is a perimeter player,” Budenholzer said. “I think most likely (we would) play more Kent Bazemore and players like that. Mike Scott and Mike Muscala are always ready.”

Scott said Thursday that he is “healthy and available” and is expected to get minutes after five consecutive games without logging a single minute.