It appears the Atlanta Hawks are going to be without their all-star forward Paul Millsap for quite a bit longer.

Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer confirmed on the weekly radio spot for 92.9 The Game this morning that Paul Millsap would not be playing on Friday's matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks.

According to Peach Tree Hoops, not having Millsap again in the lineup spells bad news for the Atlanta Hawks who are currently 0 of 6 in games without him in the lineup. To go along with that, the team is currently riding a five-game losing streak that has them struggling to keep up with other teams buying for the playoffs and are sinking in the Eastern Conference standings at a rapid rate.

The Hawks are currently fifth in the East, yet they are only two games ahead of the eight-seeded Miami Heat team. The Milwaukee Bucks are currently at the sixth place and are only .5 game below Atlanta; should the Hawks lose this one to Milwaukee, both teams would then exchange positions.

According to Chat Sports, Millsap was the latest scratch from last Saturday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers due to severe stiffness in his knee. He was initially ruled out for the first two games of Atlanta's current three-game road trip. The Hawks lost to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday and, came up short in Washington in a 104-100 defeat on Wednesday.

Atlanta will end their 3-game road trip in Milwaukee tomorrow and will be back at Philips Arena on Sunday against the struggling Brooklyn Nets. Along with Paul Millsap, the Hawks have also been without guard Kent Bazemore, who suffered an injury (bone bruise in the knee) during the loss against the Portland Trailblazers; he hasn't played ever since and the team is still waiting for updates on his recovery.

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