2 min read • April 12, 2022
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The surging Hawks will battle the Hornets on Wednesday in the East play-in tournament without starting forward John Collins, who has been ruled out for the contest.
Collins, who signed a 5-year, $125 million contract with Atlanta last summer, has not played since March 11 after playing through a severely sprained right ring finger and what was later revealed to be a plantar fascia tear in his right foot.
The 24-year-old initially missed 7 games with the foot injury before returning for 4 games, during which time he suffered the sprained finger on March 7.
He has been re-evaluated multiple times by the team and has gotten a second opinion on the injuries, but remains without a timetable for a return.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Collins has progressed to 4-on-4 but is unlikely to be immediately available for the Hawks if they advance to the first round of the playoffs.
It has been during his absence that the Hawks have flown up the East standings, going 11-5 while Danilo Gallinari and Onyeka Okongwu have stepped up at the forward position.
Gallinari is averaging 15.2 points and 4.8 rebounds on 45.2% shooting in 18 starts this season, and is expected to start on Wednesday.
Bogdan Bogdanovic has likewise closed the season on a tear, scoring 18.9 points with 4 rebounds on 44.2% shooting and 44% from 3 in his last 10 contests.
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