Jeff Teague is not pretending to be 100 percent healthy, but the Hawks’ point guard will return to the starting lineup Tuesday night against the Celtics – sore left ankle and all – to try and help Atlanta snap out of its funk.
The Hawks (9-6) have lost five of seven games.
That’s the primary motivation for Teague, who missed three straight games after spraining his ankle Nov. 13 in a 106-93 loss in Boston (7-6), and played off the bench in Saturday’s 109-97 loss in Cleveland.
“A little bit,” Teague said when asked if the Hawks’ struggles contributed to the decision to play. “You want to get rolling. We know we’re a better team than we’ve been showing. I want to be out there to help my teammates if I can go.”
The Hawks will be without small forward Kent Bazemore Tuesday for the fourth straight game. His sprained right ankle will lead to another start for Thabo Sefolosha. Reserve center/forward Tiago Splitter (right hip) is also out.
Teague played nearly 26 minutes off the bench Saturday against the Cavs, scoring 13 points with four assists.
He made just 3-of-12 shots, though.
The six-year veteran said he is not entirely sure of what he can do on his injured joint. Tuesday night won’t offer the easiest defensive assignment to figure that out. Boston point guard Isaiah Thomas is averaging 21.1 points and 6.5 assists. The 5-foot-9 Thomas is quick.
“It’s a little mental thing,” Teague said of his physical abilities. “I haven’t really tried to jump on it, dunk or anything like that. I haven’t really got a chance to figure that out yet.”
The Hawks are going to be tested plenty in the next week.
Their second game of the season versus Boston will be the first of their four games in five days with five games over seven days. They'll leave soon after Tuesday's game for three straight contests on the road: Wednesday at Minnesota, Friday at Memphis and Saturday in San Antonio.
