2 min read • March 05, 2022
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Power forward John Collins is available for the Hawks Friday night against the Wizards, the team announced about an hour before the game.
Collins has missed the last 7 games since suffering a right foot strain on Feb. 11. Collins left midway through the game after scoring 4 points and 3 rebounds on 2-8 shooting.
The 30-32 Hawks, who are the No. 10 seed but only 1 game back of the 8th seed, were able to weather the storm in his absence, going 4-3 thanks to contributions from versatile sophomore big Onyeka Okongwu and veteran forward Danilo Gallinari.
Onongwu figures to continue on as a key piece of the rotation even after the 24-year-old's return, as the Hawks have a plus-7.5 net rating with him on the floor this season and a negative-0.4 rating with him off the floor.
Okongwu, for the mean time, will be out for the second straight game with a concussion. He will have to clear concussion protocol, detailed on the NBA's website here, before returning.
Collins is averaging 16.8 points, 7.9 rebounds on .357/.388/.794 shooting splits in 50 games, all starts.
Trae Young is playing through a sprained left ankle he suffered Tuesday in a loss to the Celtics, scoring 39 points in a win over the Bulls on Thursday night. Because it is not his first sprain, Young likely experienced little new damage to his ankle ligaments and will wear thick braces to continue to protect his ankles.
After the Wizards, Atlanta faces the Pistons on Monday and the Bucks on Wednesday, all 3 games on the road.
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