Hawks' Bazemore to miss rest of season with bone bruise in knee

The Atlanta Hawks will be without swingman Kent Bazemore for the rest of the season due to a bone bruise in his right knee, the team announced.

Bazemore suffered the injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Chicago Bulls.

The Hawks (20-47) are tied with the Orlando Magic for the league's third-worst record, and sit a game-and-a-half up on the cellar-dwelling Memphis Grizzlies. They should be aided in the race for lottery ping-pong balls by Bazemore's absence.

The 28-year-old had been the Hawks' most reliable two-way player this season. He averaged a career-best 12.9 points, 3.5 assists, and 1.5 steals, shooting 39.4 percent from 3-point range, and typically tackled the toughest perimeter defensive assignments. The Hawks had been 2.8 points per 100 possessions better with him on the floor, the most significant positive impact for any of their remaining regular rotation players.