2011 NBA playoffs: MRI reveals hamstring strain for Atlanta Hawks' Kirk Hinrich

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks are preparing to be without injured starting point guard Kirk Hinrich when their second-round playoff series against the Chicago Bulls starts Monday.

Hinrich underwent an MRI test Friday on his right leg, which revealed a significant strain to his right hamstring. Hinrich is considered doubtful for Game 1 in Chicago. He sustained the injury in the fourth quarter of Thursday's series-clinching win against Orlando when he landed awkwardly on a drive to the basket.

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Hinrich did not return to the game and was in a wheelchair as players left Philips Arena on Thursday night. Hawks coach Larry Drew said Friday that Hinrich was upbeat when the team gathered for meetings, but Drew wasn't certain if the defensive-oriented guard would be ready for Monday's game.

"I saw him when he was leaving the building, and his spirits were really good, but he was limping," Drew said. "And that was not a good sign."

The Hawks were counting on Hinrich to play a pivotal role against Chicago, which won two of the three regular-season meetings between the teams. Hinrich was assigned the defensive task of trying to contain Derrick Rose.

If he is unable to play -- or is limited by the injury -- Drew said Jamal Crawford, Joe Johnson, Damien Wilkins and Jeff Teague could all spend time on Rose.

"It certainly changes things," Drew said. "He's our starting point guard. Hopefully he'll be able to go. But if he's not, we'll have to make an adjustment. Not really knowing whether Kirk can go or if he can't go, if he can play some or can't play at all, a lot of that will change things."

Hawks players said Hinrich will be valuable in the series no matter how much he contributes on the court in the first few games. Hinrich spent his first seven seasons with the Bulls before he was traded last summer to the Washington Wizards, who dealt him to the Hawks in February.

Hinrich has averaged 13 points, 5.6 assists and 1.2 steals over eight seasons and is considered one of the top defensive point guards in the league. Even with a healthy Hinrich, the Hawks expect to have their hands full with Rose, the league's top MVP candidate who averaged 27.3 points and 6.2 assists in Chicago's first-round series against the Indiana Pacers.

"It's tough," Crawford said. "Kirk is the head of our defense. He's the guy who makes stuff happen from the start. I just hope he's healthy enough to get out there. He knows their system. He knows their players as well as anybody. He can definitely give us some insight. We'll definitely pick his brain during timeouts and stuff."

Michael Wallace covers the NBA for ESPN.com.

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Howard's 46 not enough as Magic lose to Hawks

Dwight Howard becomes the 6th player since the NBA-ABA merger to score 46 points in a home playoff loss.

While Dwight Howard had an incredible game, finishing with 46 points and 19 rebounds, it continued an ongoing trend for the Magic this season. Orlando is now just 10-13 including the regular season in games in which Howard takes at leastr 16 shots from the field. When he keeps those attempts to 10 or below, the Magic are 17-3.

Dwight Howard scored 31 points in the first half against the Hawks on Saturday. His 31 points are now the franchise postseason record for points in a half. Tracy McGrady held the previous record, scoring 28 points in the second half against the Pistons during the 2003 playoffs.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The Atlanta Hawks' dominance over the Orlando Magic this year is not just a regular-season phenomenon.

For now, it also includes the postseason.

Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford finished with 23 and Atlanta beat Orlando 103-93 in Game 1 of their playoff series on Saturday, overcoming a monster night by Dwight Howard.

Dwight Howard is the first NBA player with at least 45 points and 15 rebounds in a playoff loss since Hakeem Olajuwon in 1987.

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Atlanta was eliminated by Orlando in last year's playoffs in the most lopsided four-game sweep in NBA history, but this one was much different. The Hawks led by as many as 18 points while running multiple bodies at Howard all night, and the rest of the Magic failed to step up.

"It's a seven-game series and anything can happen," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "All I wanted is to come in here and ... play hard and maintain our composure. ... I could tell our guys were ready for tonight's game."

Howard tied a career high with 46 points, to go along with 19 rebounds. Jameer Nelson had 27 points but no other Orlando player reached double figures.

The Hawks had five players with at least 13 points, earning their fourth straight victory against the Magic and erasing the sting of a six-game losing streak to close the regular season. Al Horford scored 16, Josh Smith had 15 points and eight rebounds and Kirk Hinrich added 13 points.

Game 2 of the best-of-seven series is Tuesday night in Orlando.

"I think we just had to be excited about where we were," Johnson said. "We understood that we played this team four times this year and we won three of them. We're a confident group. I think the last six games of the season people kinda looked down on us because we lost all six. But now we have a plan. It's coming to fruition and we just have to go out and play together."

After shooting a dismal 36 percent in the first quarter, the Hawks connected on 30 of their final 52 attempts from the field. They also shot 6 of 14 from the 3-point line.

"No question it's different [from last year]," Horford said. "We're a different team this year. This year we feel much more confident."

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said Atlanta's strong shooting was too much to overcome and will be the focus of his adjustments going forward, along with reducing turnovers. The Magic had 18 giveaways that led to 21 Atlanta points.

The Hawks were in control throughout. They carried an 85-71 lead into the final period and caught a break when Howard was whistled for his fifth foul with 10:58 to play.

But even with Howard playing less aggressively underneath on defense, Orlando put together a 10-1 run that cut it to 92-83 with 4:40 left.

Howard banked in a hook shot with under two minutes remaining to make it 98-90. But a steal by Smith and 3-pointer by Crawford put the Magic back into scramble mode and Atlanta was able to play keepaway the rest of the game.

The Magic came out with some renewed offensive spirit in the opening minutes of the third, cutting Atlanta's lead to 57-53. The Hawks responded with an 11-0 run, aided by a string of Orlando possessions that produced either fouls or turnovers.

To compound matters, a few trips later Howard was hit with his fourth personal and a technical foul at the 5:37 mark for pulling Zaza Pachulia to the floor on a rebound attempt. Three straight free throws by the Hawks made it 71-54.

Nelson kept the Magic close, scoring Orlando's next 15 points to trim the edge to 80-69 with under two minutes to play in the period. He said there are no quick fixes to their woes in Game 1.

"I can't really put a finger on it right now," Nelson said.

The Hawks took a 55-48 advantage into the break, relying on hot shooting to keep them out in front for most of the half. Atlanta shot 55 percent overall, including a 14 of 17 from the field in the second quarter alone.

Howard went 16 for 23 from the field and 14 of 22 from the free throw line, but he also had eight turnovers. Howard and Nelson combined for 26 of Orlando's 34 field goals.

Howard scored the Magic's first 12 points of the game and had 31 in the first half. His fellow starters and reserve Ryan Anderson combined to miss their first 10 field-goal attempts.

Hedo Turkoglu finally broke the scoring drought for Howard's teammates with a free throw at the 1:20 mark in the first quarter. And J.J. Redick picked up the first non-Howard field goal of the night a few trips later, dropping in a reverse layup off a behind-the-back pass from Gilbert Arenas in transition.

"It's frustrating that we lost," Howard said. "But it's the first game. ... We just need to keep playing."

Game notes
Howard's 31 points in the opening 24 minutes was a new first-half scoring high for the season. His previous best was 26 in the first half at Portland on Dec. 9, when the Magic lost 97-83. ... The 38 points the Magic gave up to the Hawks in the second quarter were the second-most points scored by an Orlando opponent in a half this season. ... During one stretch in the second and third quarters, Atlanta hit 18 of 24 shots from the field.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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