INDIANAPOLIS — Jeff Teague is just 23 years old and only recently took on a major role for the Hawks, so all of these games and minutes lately should be no problem, right?
“I guess,” Teague said, smiling, after he logged 42 minutes during the Hawks’ 106-101 victory at New Jersey on Monday night. “I’m still human.”
The Hawks have played a schedule that can tax the bodies and minds of any age. The game at New Jersey was their sixth in eight days and one of 10 over the first 14 days of the season.
Coach Larry Drew generally has been conservative with minutes for his regulars, but decided to push them Monday. Teague and guard Joe Johnson played all 24 minutes of the second half, Josh Smith played 23 and Al Horford played 22.
With back-to-back games against Indiana and Charlotte on Wednesday and Thursday, Drew said he was “a little concerned” about those players playing so many minutes. But he made the decision to stick with them when New Jersey quickly cut the Hawks’ 56-45 halftime lead to 58-51.
“Once New Jersey made that run, I made a decision to ride the starters,” Drew said. “I didn’t want to lose momentum. I went with feel. I kind of went with my gut.”
The decision worked in the short term when Hawks starters had enough left to turn back several New Jersey rallies in the fourth quarter. Now the Hawks (7-3) will have to regroup and deal with Indiana’s scrappy defense before facing Charlotte, which has been competitive against good opponents.
The league shoehorned 66 games into a short calendar, and Johnson said that means the starters sometimes will have to play big minutes.
“I understand in this short season, every game is important for us,” Johnson said. “I’m willing to do whatever [Drew] wants. We talked, and he understands my mindset. He knows I’m willing to do what I have to as a player to help this team get better.”
Radmanovic busts slump
The Hawks signed Vladimir Radmanovic for his 3-point shooting, so it was worrisome when he had a 2-for-13 stretch over five games, despite getting lots of good looks.
There’s no longer cause for concern: Radmanovic has made 11 of 18 3-point attempts over the past three games to lift his season percentage to 43.6. Radmanovic has shot 41.7 percent on 3-pointers in 673 career games.
“I was in a slump,” he said. “I think the long offseason kind of took a toll and got me out of rhythm. I’ve been able to bounce back and get back to my usual [shooting]. I am trying to be a threat at the 3-point line and spread the floor.”
Brace for impact
A good way to figure out if Johnson is going to have a good scoring night might be to check to see if he’s wearing a brace on his right (shooting) thumb. Johnson recently ditched the device and has been shooting the ball better.
“I don’t like wearing it,” he said. “It’s a little uncomfortable. It’s been feeling pretty good lately.”
The thumb has periodically bothered Johnson since he got whacked on his hand early last season. He said it feels better after days off or when he manages to make it through a game without taking a hit to his hand.
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