Subscribe
Follow Us
The Atlanta Hawks bashed the Charlotte Hornets in Wednesday's play-in game, and they did it without one of their best players in John Collins. The Hawks star has not played in over a month because of finger and foot injuries. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like Collins will be ready for Friday's play-in game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Via The Athletic's Chris Kirschner:
Cavs All-Star center Jarrett Allen could be back from a finger injury. John Collins is still unlikely to play for the Hawks on Friday, a source told The Athletic on Tuesday afternoon. If Allen is back and performing at the level he was before his finger injury, Cleveland is a different team. The Cavs’ frontcourt defense with Allen and rookie Evan Mobley was fearsome when they were on the court together.
*Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)*
The Hawks being without Collins and the Cavs getting Jarrett Allen back would make this game much more difficult for Atlanta, especially since it's in Cleveland. Allen has also been out for a while, not playing since March 6 due to a broken finger. When the Cavs are healthy, they like to run a three-big lineup with Allen, Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen, which is a unique and difficult matchup to go against.
With Collins out, Danilo Gallinari has been starting at the 4. Gallo played well against the Hornets, going for 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting in 30 minutes. Allen returning would complicate matchups for the Hawks, so this will be something to monitor in this elimination game.
