National Basketball Association

Hawks put Horford, Williams in lineup for Game 5

Published May. 9, 2012 1:28 a.m. ET

foxsports

Al Horford is back in the starting lineup for the Atlanta Hawks as they try to avoid elimination in their first-round series against the Boston Celtics.

Horford missed most of the regular season and the first three games of the playoffs after undergoing pectoral surgery. He made a surprising return in Game 4, coming off the bench for 12 points and five rebounds in a 22-point loss.

With the Celtics leading 3-1, Atlanta made a couple of changes for Game 5 on Tuesday night. In addition to Horford starting at center, Marvin Williams gets the nod at small forward so Joe Johnson can drop back to the shooting guard position, in hopes that will free him up for more offense. He scored just nine points in the previous game.