Crabbe, RHJ solid in returns

Allen Crabbe and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson returned to the court Saturday after injury absences. But only Crabbe was back in the starting lineup.

Crabbe started and scored 12 points after missing the prior three games with a sore back, one both he and coach Kenny Atkinson claim shouldn’t be a recurring issue. But Hollis-Jefferson came off the bench for the first time this season in his return from a sprained ankle that cost him the last two games.

“I felt good, I felt comfortable. I just enjoyed playing the game. … It was just go out and compete. If you come out, you come out. If not …” shrugged Hollis-Jefferson, who had started his other 18 appearances and said Atkinson’s only message had been fairly simple: Compete.

“Just be ready, always be ready. It wasn’t like, ‘Hey, you’re going to start, or you’re not going to start.’ It was, be ready. He did say you’re not going to start this game, but he said when you come out there just be ready. Depending on how things are looking, how you’re competing, if you have any problems, the rest we’ll take care of on the fly. But for the most part, while you’re out there, compete.”

Hollis-Jefferson finished with nine points and four rebounds. Trevor Booker started at power forward for the third time this season — the others came with Hollis-Jefferson out — but went scoreless on 0-for-5 shooting.

“We talked about it before the game. Trevor had a really great game in Dallas, was feeling good. Rondae’s obviously coming back from an injury, so that was the thinking there,” Atkinson said.

Meanwhile, Crabbe played for the first time since his back tightened up during warmups prior to the Memphis game.

“There was no particular movements or anything I did out of the ordinary that caused this. It just locked up on me,” said Crabbe, who tried acupuncture to no avail in Memphis.

An MRI exam came back clean and he insists he isn’t concerned about a recurrence.

“I don’t think so. This was the first time it happened, so I really hope that it doesn’t come back. The last couple of days I’ve been able to work out, got through practice [Friday] without any restrictions or anything coming back, so it feels fine,” Crabbe said. “[I’m] 90 percent, 95. I feel good. I’m back.”