East Notes: Bucks, Patrick Beverley, Pistons, Hawks, Trae Young

Bucks

New guard Patrick Beverley made his Bucks debut on Friday, drilling a 3-pointer from the corner on his first shot in a blowout win over the Hornets.

“I ain’t going to lie. I didn’t want to meet (the) Denver Nuggets on my first game,” Beverley told reporters. “OK, cool, let me see what’s going on with Charlotte. Let me get my routine under me. I have eight suitcases in the hotel still unpacked. Just trying to learn off the go.”

• Beverley played for new Bucks coach Doc Rivers with the Clippers. The two are said to be close. “He’s just positive energy,” Rivers said. “He holds his teammates and himself accountable and he really just wants to win. I think our guys see that.”
• Shooting guard Malik Beasley has now had 13 games in which he’s buried five 3-pointers or more. That breaks a Bucks franchise mark set by Ray Allen during the 2001-02 season.

Pistons

GM Troy Weaver hopes the trades for Simone Fontecchio and Quentin Grimes “will provide long-term support as 3-and-D wings,” wrote Omari Sankofa II of the Detroit Free Press.

“We’re excited about adding Grimes. He fits the profile that we need,” Weaver said. “Doesn’t need the ball to hit shots and he defends at a high level. Great teammate. We expect him to step into a role to help support the young core. And he’s young, so he’ll continue to be part of that group.”

He suggested he’s every bit as excited about Fontecchio.

“This guy has made huge, huge strides from his first year in the NBA to this season,” Weaver said. “Versatile, his shooting, toughness, the vigor he plays with.  We’re excited about what he adds. A young veteran even though it’s his second year in the NBA. He’s 28. He has a maturity about him that we like and that we’ll miss with (Bojan Bogdanovic) that he’ll bring.”

Hawks

Guard Trae Young, a newly minted All-Star, erupted for 37 points and the Hawks used a team effort to beat the 76ers in Philadelphia on Friday.

“This isn’t the easiest place to play, so coming in here getting a win at any time is a good thing for us,” Young told reporters. “We had some guys out, so we needed other guys to step up and they did.”

• Atlanta is hoping that the end of trade rumors surrounding guard Dejounte Murray and others will offer a sense of relief and an uptick in consistency. The Hawks (23-29) currently sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, 5.5 games behind the Pacers for sixth. Seeds 7-10 have to work their way into the playoffs via the play-in tournament.