Jeff Teague didn’t mind sitting out the final minutes this time.
At least not until the Hawks’ beat-down of the Nuggets was nearly complete.
The Hawks starting point guard watched from the bench in narrow defeats to the Kings and Suns last week on the team’s just-completed western road trip. Teague and his teammates played a much different game in defeating the Nuggets 119-105 Monday night. After leading by as many as 22 points with three minutes remaining, Teague spent the remainder of the game cheering on those on mop-up duty.
“We know we can play better,” Teague said after the Hawks completed a 2-2 road trip against four sub-.500 teams. “We know we are a better team than we’ve been showing. Tonight was just a start.”
It was start for Teague, who has struggled from his All-Star form from just a season ago. He told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that he is still dealing with an injured ankle sustained early in the season, but he could also be looking over his shoulder at backup point guard Dennis Schroder, who is becoming more consistent offensively and defensively. Coach Mike Budenholzer entrusted the games against the Kings and Suns to Schroder down the stretch.
Both point guards played very well against the Nuggets, using their speed to get into the paint and break down the defense. They scored or assisted at the proper time. It was, for at least one more night on an up-and-down season, what has become known as Hawks basketball.
“It was huge,” center Al Horford said of the point guard play. “Jeff’s energy, his activity, I’ve said this before. When he plays at that level, it changes our team completely. It was true last season. It’s true now. I was very happy to see him give us some really good minutes. Dennis as well. They both really set the tone.”
Teague finished with a double-double of 12 points and 10 assists. He added three rebounds and three steals which moved him past Stacy Augmon for ninth on the franchise all-time list with 571.
“I thought Jeff was really focused,” guard Kyle Korver said. “I think Jeff has been dealing with his ankle a little bit. I think tonight he had a little more bounce in his step. He played really well. He wasn’t just scoring the basketball, he was making plays for teammates. He was really active. When Jeff is focused and feeling healthy and playing right, he’s a really great player.”
Schroder added 15 points, five assists, five rebounds and one turnover. Combined the two combined for 27 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, three steals, four turnovers and were a combined plus-26.
Hawks coaches and players realize if the team is to return to a level of consistency it showed last year, it will start with the point guards.
“That’s what we do,” Schroder said. “We’ve just got to be more aggressive every time we get to the lane, try to score or find the open teammate when (the defense) is sagging. I think we did a great job tonight.”
The Hawks (27-19) are third in the Eastern Conference, 5 1/2 games behind the Cavaliers and three games behind the Raptors.
After a week on the road, the team will see little rest. The Hawks host the Clippers on Wednesday and play at the Pacers on Thursday. The Clippers will be without Blake Griffin. The power forward has been out with a quadriceps injury but he was on the Clippers’ road trip. However, he was sent back to Los Angeles after he reportedly broke his hand hitting a member of the team’s equipment staff.
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