"The Hawks say Al Horford will miss 3-4 months with a torn pectoral muscle suffered during last night's 96-84 loss at Indiana.. Horford is to get a second opinion on whether to proceed with the surgery.

Under the most most optimistic time frame, Horford would return in mid-April. Atlanta's final regular-season game is scheduled for April 26.

"It's disappointing news," Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr. said. "Al is a big part of our success. Hopefully he will be back by the playoffs. The tough part is we have been playing hard and playing well. We will have to try to get through it. We're a veteran team and we have to find a way.""