Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce to miss two games for birth of child

Typically throughout the 2020-21 NBA season held amid the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals have missed games either for coronavirus-related setbacks or, more recently, because of extreme winter weather that left thousands upon thousands of people without power. 

In a nice change of pace, Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce will temporarily be away from the club for a positive reason. 

As ESPN's Marc J. Spears wrote, Pierce informed The Undefeated that he will miss at least the next two games due to the birth of his second child in Atlanta. 

The Hawks play at the Boston Celtics on Wednesday and Friday and then return home to host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Pierce added he could coach against Denver.

The Hawks lost at the New York Knicks 123-112 on Monday evening. Pierce has since returned to Atlanta, and associate head coach Nate McMillan will serve as interim head coach during Pierce's absence. 

Lloyd and Melissa Pierce have a young daughter named Maya. 

Atlanta is losing Pierce at a rough time, as the Hawks have dropped seven of their past eight games. They hold an overall record of 11-16 heading into Wednesday's matchup at Boston.