Thabo Sefolosha went through an entire practice Wednesday and it appears the Hawks starting small forward will return to the lineup on Friday. Sefolosha missed the past nine games with a left groin injury. The Hawks went 5-4 in his absence.
“I felt pretty good,” Sefolosha said after the workout. “I’m looking forward to the next few days and see exactly how it feels and hopefully get ready to play. … Still a little bit (of tightness). But there is no such thing as being 100 percent, especially during an NBA season. So I think if I can put it behind me and play as close as possible to my maximum, I’ll be ready to go.”
The Hawks host the Heat on Friday in the first game back from the NBA All-Star break.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said the key will be how Sefolosha reacts the next two days but acknowledged that him not playing before the break was beneficial.
“I think he had a good practice today,” Budenholzer said. “He pretty much did everything. Played well. Looked good. As always, you are curious how he is going to look tomorrow. Getting him through the last game with a chance to rest and recover, hopefully now he is in a good place to start the last third of the season.”
No Schroder
Dennis Schroder was the lone Hawks player not at Wednesday’s practice. The starting point guard traveled to Germany over the All-Star break.
Budenholzer said Schroder had “some travel issues.” He added he was hopeful that Schroder would be available for Thursday’s practice.
Splitter still on mend
Tiago Splitter is still recovering from hip and calf injuries that have kept him out all season. A return to the court is not imminent for the backup center.
“He is continuing to make progress,” Budenholzer said. “He is doing more in practice situations. I think the thing is he has to do that for a sustained period of time.”
Budenholzer said it is not the plan for Splitter to miss the entire season.
Millsap back early
Paul Millsap did not have to practice Wednesday after he was the Hawks’ lone representative at the All-Star Game. He was not required to be back with the team until Thursday.
However, the four-time all-star took part in the workout a day ahead of time.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Millsap said when asked why returned to work early.
Millsap said he enjoyed his all-star experience. He got a chance to bond with other of the game’s top players, eat at several New Orleans restaurants and even watch some Mardi Gras parades from his hotel.
As for the game, Millsap had five points and five rebounds in his 13 minutes. The West recorded a 192-182 victory in the contest where no defense was played.
“It’s a fun game,” Millsap said. “I don’t think the fans want to see motion offense. They want to see a bunch of 3’s get jacked up, half-court shots, a bunch of lobs and dunks. That’s definitely what this past game was all about.”
Open roster spot
The Hawks have an open roster spot after the second 10-day contract of Lamar Patterson expired for the break. Patterson returned to Reno of the NBA Development League.
Budenholzer said keep the open roster spot with the trade deadline on Thursday was important.
“He is someone we are really interested in,” Budenholzer said of Patterson. “He did great in his 20 days. I think just managing the roster through the next day or two and giving yourself the most flexibility is the prudent thing to do.”
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