Thabo Sefolosha, Mike Muscala ruled out for Thursday's game in New York

Things did not go according to plan on Tuesday night for the Atlanta Hawks, as the team fell flat in a season-opening loss to the Detroit Pistons. While the result was less than desirable on the scoreboard, the team also sustained an injury to a potentially key cog, as Mike Muscala exited in the fourth quarter as a result of an ankle injury. Now, we have clarity on his status for Thursday night's game in New York.

The team announced on Wednesday that both Muscala and Thabo Sefolosha, who continues rehabilitation on his ankle, will be out against the Knicks in Atlanta's road opener. X-rays on Muscala's injured ankle were negative, which is certainly a good thing, and he brought this positive message about his health via Twitter.

Thanks for all of the support guys. Ankle is doing much better today. I'll be back soon!! #GoHawks

— Mike Muscala (@mikemuscala) October 28, 2015

In the case of Sefolosha, this isn't a surprise given that Thursday's game is the first of a back-to-back set. While he looked quite good (and healthy) in the opener, the Hawks have every incentive to play things cautiously with Sefolosha, and no alarm is needed here.

Stay tuned for the latest, but it will be interested to see how the rotation looks on Thursday night, especially in the case of Tim Hardaway Jr., Lamar Patterson and Justin Holiday.