Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll didn’t play Thursday night against the Raptors after he tweaked his left hamstring the previous night against the Bulls.
“He just felt a little something in his hamstring,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “We are going to make sure he is right and err on the side of caution.”
Kyle Korver started at small forward and Lou Williams at shooting guard. Korver appeared shaken after he slipped on the court during pregame warm-ups, but he was in the starting lineup.
Williams sparked the Hawks’ third-quarter rally against the Bulls with nine points on 4-of-4 shooting in just 4:32. He finished with 13 points, four assists, three rebounds, one steal and one turnover in 30 minutes.
“I thought we needed that,” Williams said. “I thought we needed somebody to be aggressive and attack the basket to try and get us back in the basketball game.”
Said Budenholzer: “Lou had a good bounce, particularly the second half. He got to the rim and got to the basket in transition. … I think if Lou starts getting a little more confidence and a little more bounce, that’s going to add to our group.”
Budenholzer said he thinks Williams is rounding into form physically a little more than a year after he had reconstructive surgery on his right knee.
“He’s just getting better and better,” Budenholzer said. “Even guys that have been through training camp and the whole season, sometimes on back-to-backs they don’t have a bounce. I think Lou is in a healthy, good spot.”
Antic update: Hawks forward/center Pero Antic, out since Jan. 24 with a stress fracture in his right ankle, said he has progressed to riding a stationary bike and doing some core workouts.
“After one week, 10 days, the medical staff will see me and tell me what to do else,” he said. “They are the bosses. They know best.”
Antic has missed 10 games because of the injury. He has averaged 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 15.5 minutes in 29 games (eight starts).
Etc.: The Hawks were scheduled to fly back to Atlanta on their charter following the game, but decided to move the flight to Thursday morning because of the severe weather. … Raptors forward Amir Johnson (ankle) sat out the game.
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