Malcolm Delaney unlikely to play against Rockets

The Atlanta Hawks face an uphill battle on Friday night when James Harden and the Houston Rockets come to town. While the Hawks have been banged up throughout the season, another injury emerged on Wednesday in Philadelphia and it appears to be lingering to the next contest.

Malcolm Delaney, fresh off arguably his best half of basketball this season, suffered a sprained right ankle against the Sixers and did not return after halftime. Now, the Hawks are listing Delaney as “doubtful” to play against Houston, likely signaling an uptick in playing time for Isaiah Taylor as the backup to Dennis Schröder.

Delaney joins Ersan Ilyasova, DeAndre’ Bembry and Miles Plumlee on the list of players likely to miss the action. Here is the full listed injury report for Atlanta:

• Marco Belinelli (sore left Achilles) is probable.
• DeAndre’ Bembry (fractured right wrist) is out.
• Malcolm Delaney (sprained right ankle) is doubtful.
• Ersan Ilyasova (bone bruise, left knee) is out.
• Mike Muscala (sprained left ankle) is probable.
• Miles Plumlee (strained right quad) is out.
• Dennis Schröder (sprained left ankle) is probable.

Stay tuned.