Hawks power forward John Collins returned from an illness to re-join the starting lineup Wednesday night at State Farm Arena against the Spurs.
Coach Lloyd Pierce said Collins will be restricted to 25 minutes of playing time.
“John (Collins) just gives us a dimension that is always tough to guard with him presenting at the rim and the pick-and-rolls, his ability to step out and shoot the 3’s, and the bigs stay back in their coverage,” Pierce said. “Just the amount of attention he draws with the pick-and-rolls, it provides 3-point opportunities for some of the other guys, Kevin (Huerter) and (Kent Bazemore) and (Taurean Prince), out on the perimeter.”
Collins missed the past three games because of flu-like symptoms. Collins is averaging 19.5 points with 9.5 rebounds this season heading into the matchup.
Prince is back in the lineup as well after returning from the birth of his son. Prince missed the past two games, against the Heat and the Bulls.
Hawks center Dewayne Dedmon is out for tonight’s game with a bruised right knee . Pierce said he does not believe the injury is serious.
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