The status of John Collins for Friday night’s play-in tournament game is in. He’s out.
The Hawks power forward did “a little moving around” and some 4-on-4 on-court work Thursday, according to coach Nate McMillan. There was no media observation period of practice. Most of the Hawks had a lengthy film session.
“We’ll see how he feels after that,” McMillan said Thursday morning. Collins was ruled out on the team’s official injury report later in the day.
Collins is battling two injuries – a right ring-finger sprain and a right foot strain (with a plantar fascia tear). He hasn’t played since March 11, missing the final 16 games of the regular season and Wednesday’s 132-103 win over the Hornets in a play-in tournament game.
Collins is the Hawks’ second-leading scorer at 16.2 points per game and rebounder at 7.8 per game.
The Hawks play at the Cavaliers in the final play-in tournament game. With a win, the Hawks would advance to the playoffs to face the No. 1-seed Heat in a seven-game series that would begin Sunday. With a loss, the Hawks would be eliminated. Getting Collins back would have been a big boost for the Hawks against a much-bigger Cavaliers team. The Cavaliers’ injury report lists center Jarrett Allen as questionable with a finger injury.
About the Author
