Mike Muscala injury: Hawks forward out against Pistons

The Atlanta Hawks will be without forward/center Mike Muscala on Wednesday when they take on the Detroit Pistons.

Muscala suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s win over Milwaukee. He eventually was able to walk to the bench area but headed straight to the back and did not return. He did not travel with the team to New York for Monday’s game against the Knicks.

Dwight Howard also sat out that game for what was categorized as a rest day. Without Howard and Muscala, the Hawks went with a small starting lineup featuring Paul Millsap at center and used backup Kris Humphries for 24 minutes off the bench. Atlanta’s updated injury report only lists Muscala and Splitter so it appears that Howard will be ready to go against the Pistons.

Muscala has emerged as Atlanta’s first big off the bench this season. He’s appeared in 40 games and is averaging 7.6 points and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 51 percent from the field.