Thunder vs Hawks: Tiago Splitter to miss fifth consecutive game; Thabo Sefolosha to start

The Atlanta Hawks survived a four-game, five-night stretch with a 2-2 mark in the absence of Tiago Splitter. However, the veteran big man isn't back quite yet, as the Hawks will be playing short-handed once again on Monday.

Sefolosha will start. Splitter will not play vs. OKC.

— KL Chouinard (@KLChouinard) November 30, 2015

Splitter's fifth consecutive absence comes as no surprise, as he continues to deal with a hip injury. The Hawks have no incentive to rush the oft-injured big man along at this point in the season, and with Mike Muscala playing improved basketball off the bench, additional rest is the best course of action.

As for Thabo Sefolosha, Mike Budenholzer's choice to start a lineup including his best defensive wing did not go according to plan against the Spurs, but on a broader scale, the Hawks have enjoyed success with a lineup of Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Sefolosha, Paul Millsap and Al Horford. It will be interesting to see how the match-ups break down against the dynamic pairing of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, but Sefolosha's deployment likely means he will get the first chance at slowing Durant.

Stay tuned.