HEADLINE

Hawks expect to have Teague in lineup vs. Pistons

Field Level Media

January 18, 2020 at 6:53 am.

The Atlanta Hawks will have a recognizable new face on the roster when they return home to host the Detroit Pistons on Saturday.

In a move expected to bolster the bench, the Hawks acquired point guard Jeff Teague from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday along with guard Treveon Graham in exchange for guard Allen Crabbe.

The Hawks selected Teague No. 19 overall out of Wake Forest in 2009, and he played in Atlanta from 2009-16 before being part of a three-team trade that saw him land with the Indiana Pacers.

Teague should be helpful for a young team that has struggled to find a suitable backup for leading scorer Trae Young, who averages more than 35 minutes per game.

In searching for someone to give Young a break, Atlanta has had luck of late using G-League graduate Brandon Goodwin. However, Evan Turner has been a bust, and the team suffers when forced to use Cam Reddish or Kevin Huerter out of position.

Young embraced the idea of bringing Teague back to Atlanta.

“I know a lot about his game,” Young recently told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “He’s very smart, a really good scorer, knows how to draw fouls, knows how to get his teammates involved.”

Teague is averaging 13.2 points and 6.1 assists in 34 games, and Graham is averaging 5.2 points in 20 minutes per game. Teague and Graham are expected to be available for the game against Detroit.

The Pistons broke a three-game losing streak on Wednesday with a 116-103 road victory over the Boston Celtics. Two of the losses on that skid came in overtime.

Detroit is led by Derrick Rose, who averages 18.1 points and 5.8 assists. He scored 22 against Boston, his 17th game with at least 20 points this season.

Forward Sekou Doumbouya is coming off a career-high 24 points against the Celtics, his seventh double-digit scoring effort in the past eight games. He is averaging 14 points and 5.3 rebounds since being placed in the starting lineup on Jan. 2.

“He’s come along,” Pistons coach Dwane Casey told reporters. “He’s developing right before us. He has a way to go. You don’t want to overreact, but I like what his future holds.”

Atlanta is coming off a dramatic 121-120 win in San Antonio on Friday. It was the first time the Hawks had beaten the Spurs on the road since 1997, ending a 21-game losing streak there and giving Atlanta a two-game sweep in the season series.

Huerter made a 3-pointer with seven seconds remaining to help the Hawks overcome a 15-point deficit. Atlanta, which played without Teague, has a two-game winning streak for the first time since opening the season with a pair of victories.

“Our guys, gritty, tough,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said. “That’s a lot of growth out there tonight. The way they competed, the way they got down and came back. It was fully a team effort.”

Detroit, meanwhile, hasn’t won two in a row since early December.

Pistons forward Blake Griffin has missed 24 games this season and is currently sidelined because of left knee surgery. Atlanta will be without Jabari Parker (right shoulder impingement) and seldom-used reserve Chandler Parsons (concussion following an auto accident) but remains hopeful Alex Len will able to return after missing two games with lower back pain.

This will be the third of four meetings between the Hawks and Pistons this season. They split the two previous games, both in Detroit. The finale will be April 7 in Atlanta.