The Sixers will be without their starting shooting guard for an extended stretch of time.
The team said Saturday that an MRI on Danny Green confirmed he sustained a right calf strain Friday night. Green will be re-evaluated in approximately two weeks.
The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported earlier that Green is expected to miss two to three weeks. Harrison Sanford, who co-hosts the Inside the Green Room podcast with Green, tweeted that the 33-year-old has a Grade 2 strain and that his absence could range from between two and five weeks.
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Green exited the Sixers’ win over the Hawks in Game 3 of their second-round playoff series with 8:15 to go in the first quarter. He wore a walking boot on the sidelines.
The Sixers filled Green’s spot with several players on Friday. Matisse Thybulle stepped into the Sixers’ lineup immediately after his injury, while Furkan Korkmaz started the second half.
Head coach Doc Rivers did not name who’d enter the Sixers’ starting five after the game, saying he needed to review the film first. We examined that question here.
Rivers was unsure Friday night how long Green would be sidelined but did not expect a swift return.
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“I have no idea,” he said. “It’s a calf injury. Just with my doctor’s degree, I would tell you that calf injuries aren’t great.”
Joel Embiid was hopeful Green wouldn’t miss much time.
“We’re resilient,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of weapons. We’ve got a lot of guys that can play. But Danny’s a big part of what we’ve been doing all season, so I hope we get him back as soon as possible. But it’s the same mindset. We’ve got to keep it going. It starts defensively. And offensively, just moving the ball.”
Green played in 69 of the Sixers’ 72 regular-season games, averaging 9.5 points and 1.3 steals. He shot 40.5 percent from three-point range on a career-high 6.3 attempts per game.
The Sixers’ bench has played well since a dismal first half of Game 2 in which Atlanta’s second unit had a 32-0 scoring advantage, holding a 74-49 edge since then. The Sixers will need to draw from their bench to compensate for Green's absence.