DeMarre Carroll Injury: Hawks forward out against Lakers

Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll will miss his fourth straight game Tuesday night due to a groin injury. Carroll was declared out following the team's shootaround. Thabo Sefolosha is expected to start at small forward in place of Carroll.

Carroll suffered the injury a week ago in a win over the New York Knicks. He sat out the next three games while continuing to receive treatment. He had been hopeful that he could return on Tuesday but the Hawks are electing to play it safe in regards to his return.

Sefolosha has started the past three games in place of Carroll and is averaging just under 11 points per game as a starter. Carroll was off to a great start this season offensively averaging a career-best 12 points per game on 49 percent shooting. Carroll has become a key part of Atlanta's three-point attack and was knocking down 46 percent of his three-point attempts this season.

The Hawks are smart not to rush Carroll back if there was any remaining discomfort. Atlanta doesn't play again until Friday and then is off until following Tuesday. That gives the team and Carroll more time to recover and make sure that his groin injury doesn't become a lingering issue.

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