ATLANTA - The Atlanta Hawks may be without their top 3-point shooter with their season on the line.
Bogdan Bogdanovic's status is uncertain for Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who host Sunday's 8 p.m. matchup that will be televised by TNT.
Bogdanovic left Friday night's 104-99 home loss in the fourth quarter with a sore right knee and did not return. Atlanta interim coach Nate McMillan said Saturday the soreness is not related to the fracture in the same knee that forced Bogdanovic to miss 25 games early in the season.
McMillan was asked if he is optimistic that Bogdanovic can return for the decisive game of the series.
"I really don't know or have an answer to that question," McMillan said. "... We'll see how he feels later today and tomorrow."
Atlanta point guard Trea Young, who scored 34 points in Game 6, would have to carry an even bigger scoring load if Bogdanovic is unavailable.
"We've got to be ready to play with or without him," Young said Friday night. "Obviously he's a big piece of our team and brings a lot of scoring. ... Nobody is going to feel sorry for us if we lose. We've got to go out there and play hard."
Bogdanovic shot 3-for-11 - including 1-for-6 from 3-point range - and scored seven points Friday, two days after managing only six points as the fifth-seeded Hawks won Game 5 in Philadelphia, where he shot 3-for-9 overall while going 0-for-4 behind the arc. He scored 22 points in Monday's Game 4 win in Atlanta, shooting 9-for-24 from the floor, including 4-for-13 from long distance.
"Basically this came about in the last game or so," McMillan said of Bogdanovic's sore knee. "It's nothing related to the injury earlier in the season."
Perhaps the most telling sign the knee was affecting the 6-foot-6, 220-pound guard's performance Friday night came when Bogdanovic missed two free throws early in the fourth quarter. He made more than 90% of his free throws during the regular season.
If Bogdanovic can't play, it would be another blow to the Hawks' perimeter depth. The team already has lost former starter De'Andre Hunter, who had surgery to repair a small tear of the lateral meniscus in his right knee and is out for the postseason. Kevin Huerter, who would be an option to fill in for Bogdanovic at shooting guard, already has moved into Hunter's small forward spot.
Bogdanovic had been Atlanta's second-leading scorer in the postseason, averaging 15.4 points before Friday night. He averaged 16.4 points in the regular season and was a key to Atlanta's strong finish to the regular season. Since April 1, he led the Eastern Conference with 128 3-pointers.
Lou Williams, who had 15 points on 7-for-11 shooting in Game 5 but was scoreless and missed all five of his shots Friday, could be forced into a bigger role in Game 7. Other options include Solomon Hill and Tony Snell.
The Hawks are trying to reach the conference title series for the first time in six years; Philadelphia hasn't advanced that far since 2001. Atlanta is 0-9 all-time in Game 7 of a series when it's played on the road, but the Hawks have had success in Philadelphia this postseason, including rallying from 26 points down Wednesday.
"You have to look at that, the fact we have won there twice in this series," McMillan said Saturday. "You should feel confident you can win in that building. We've done well, I would say, in the playoffs on the road. I think we feel we play with confidence on the road. It's a one-game series, and the pressure is on both teams."