PHILADELPHIA – The Hawks seized another opportunity to rest some starters.
On the second of back-to-back games and playing the lowly 76ers, the Hawks rested Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll Saturday. Korver did not make the trip.
Korver had missed only one game this season, that also for rest. The Hawks sharp-shooting guard has struggled with his shot in recent weeks and has expressed some frustration. He missed his first five 3-pointers in Friday’s win before hitting two in a 17-4 fourth-quarter run.
“I’ve been off to a slow start every game since January,” Korver said following the game. “You do all these interviews about 50-50-90. You talk about shooting for a month and I don’t know what it is. I’ve got myself in a nice little … I don’t know what it is I just don’t feel in sync all the way.”
Korver was shooting over 50 percent from the field, 50 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent from the free-throw line for much of the season. He garnered much national attention for the milestone marks. However, he has slipped to 48.8 percent from the field and a still NBA-leading 49.2 percent from 3-point range. He has made just 24 of his past 73 3-point attempts.
The Hawks went with a starting lineup of Jeff Teague, John Jenkins, Kent Bazemore, Al Horford and Mike Muscala. Jenkins will be making his first start and Muscala his second start of the season. Pero Antic is also out with a left ankle sprain suffered Friday.
“We are going to work our way through the season and maintain our health,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said of the lineup. “In general, there are some combinations that will get opportunities to play together and maybe be in different situations where it’s good for them to get comfortable. Those are good, valuable, growth, learning type situations.”
The Hawks rested starters Teague, Horford and Carroll in a win at the Heat last Saturday. All five starters got games off in January as Teague, Millsap and Carroll sat in a win over the 76ers and Korver and Horford sat the following night in a win at the Celtics. Muscala made his first start against the 76ers at center on Jan. 13 and Horford went on to post his first career triple-double.
