Parker back for Spurs after missing month

Point guard Tony Parker will return to the San Antonio Spurs’ lineup Tuesday in Detroit, finally confident and comfortable that he is recovered from a Dec. 5 hamstring injury.

Parker has played in only three of the past 16 games for the Spurs, and the 32-year-old tweaked the strained muscle in each of his previous attempts to return to the court. The most recent was Christmas Day against the Thunder.

“I want to make sure he doesn’t get halfway through the game and feel it again,” coach Gregg Popovich said Monday. “I want to really be sure.”