Murray update 

When Murray left Wednesday's game with an ankle sprain, it seemed unlikely, at the very least, that he'd be ready to go on Friday. Ankle sprains are notoriously tricky to evaluate from the outside, but Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news on Thursday that Murray would miss two weeks. 

The Hawks later released an official update noting an MRI-confirmed left ankle sprain with associated swelling. 

For what it's worth, this is the same framing associated with John Collins' ankle sprain that happened in Orlando in late November. And, as always, a projection of two weeks does not ensure return in exactly two weeks. 

Murray's absence is brutal for the Hawks in any context, but especially with the team swooning and other injuries on the roster. The Hawks don't have a second high-end ball-handler with Murray out of the lineup, and Atlanta has a -5.6 net rating in minutes with Murray off the court this season. Aaron Holiday was tabbed for an increased workload on Wednesday, and that projects to be the case moving forward. In addition, Trent Forrest could be back in the near future, and Bogdan Bogdanovic could be in line for more playing time as the training staff allows.

In addition to the update on Murray, John Collins (left ankle sprain) remains out and that isn't the best situation. The Hawks did get some positive news with both De’Andre Hunter (right hip flexor strain) and Trent Forrest (concussion protocol) upgraded to questionable. Hunter returning, in particular, would be quite helpful given the matchup. 

For Brooklyn, Yuta Watanabe (hamstring) is out. That is the entire injury report for the Nets, which is stark in comparison to Atlanta's situation. Also, Ben Simmons is expected to return for the Nets after missing the last four games.