CHICAGO – Bulls forward Carlos Boozer and Hawks guard Jeff Teague were in the starting lineups for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between Chicago and Atlanta on Monday.
Boozer had said after the morning shootaround that he was feeling "a lot better" after being limited by turf toe on his right foot and planned to suit up barring any setbacks during pregame warmups. He was a limited participant in practice on Sunday after sitting out Friday and Saturday following two off days.
His toe problem surfaced while scoring during the second quarter of Game 5 of the Bulls' opening-round series against Indiana.
Teague is starting at point guard for the Hawks with Kirk Hinrich likely missing the series after severely straining his hamstring in the clinching win in the opening round against Orlando.
Mostly a reserve during the regular season, Teague appeared in just two games and played a total of nine minutes against the Magic. Now, he has the unenviable task of trying to contain MVP candidate Derrick Rose.
"I won't be on an island. There will be a lot of others helping me out," Teague said.
Marvin Williams also started at small forward for the Hawks after coming off the bench in the opening round, with Josh Smith at power forward, Al Horford at center and Jason Collins in a reserve roll.
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