Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is expecting a full dress rehearsal in the team’s preseason finale Thursday night.
The Hawks play the Bulls in Omaha, Neb. in their seventh and final exhibition game. The regular-season opener comes a week later with a home game against the Wizards on Oct. 27.
The Hawks had their starting five together for just the first time in Tuesday’s win over the Pelicans. Budenholzer was asked following Wednesday’s practice whether he was expecting a full rehearsal and would anyone be rested.
“We are expecting everybody to be available and play,” Budenholzer said.
The starters played between 22-24 minutes in the win over the Pelicans, a time frame reduced by the fact that the Hawks led by 23 points in the first half. After playing the first eight minutes of the third quarter, the starters were done for the evening. The stint was planned to push the group’s conditioning, Budenholzer said.
“We probably would have played them a little bit more if the circumstances would have been different,” Budenholzer said. “It just felt like the right thing to do. I thought they played well in the first half, the energy and the defense, there was a good feel. Sometimes it’s good to put that in a box and go to the next day.”
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