Smith close to returning to Hawks’ lineup

The surest sign that Josh Smith is officially on his way back to the Hawks’ active roster is his addition to the team’s travel list for this weekend’s doubleheader in Toronto [Friday] and Washington [Saturday].

Smith hasn’t been on the road since suffering a high left ankle sprained in the first quarter of a Nov. 7 home win over the Raptors.

He will sit out tonight’s game against Milwaukee at Philips Arena but is scheduled to practice Thanksgiving morning and then travel to Toronto in the afternoon.

Hawks coach Mike Woodson said there is a possibility Smith could play against the Wizards but that a more likely return is next Wednesday’s home game against Memphis.

“He’s definitely on his way back,” Woodson said. “We’ll work him some on this trip and work him some just to see where he is. But I’d rather see him practice in a big setting with everybody on the floor going up and down versus just these little bitty one-hour practices to try and get him ready to get back going.

“I’m not saying he’s going to play this weekend. But we’re going to make sure he’s with us [on the road] so we can gauge where he is and go from there.”