The Los Angeles Clippers were still without Darius Garland for their Friday night clash against the Los Angeles Lakers. The last thing they needed was to miss another key piece due to injury. In the middle of their contest against the Lakers, John Collins sustained a head injury on a dangerous play in which he was undercut near the basket by Jaxson Hayes following a lob attempt.
This wasn't an intentional play by Hayes by any means, but it was still an unfortunate sequence that has now forced Collins to the locker room prematurely. Hayes was simply trying to deflect the lob pass, but his momentum was carrying him backwards and straight onto the Clippers highflyer's path. Collins then took a hard spill on the hardwood which then caused a sudden bump to his head, causing him to bleed.
As per ClutchPoints Clippers beat reporter Tomer Azarly, Collins is now being evaluated for a head injury, which means that he can't return to action on the night until he clears certain tests. In theory, Collins could return to action against the Lakers if he does clear all protocols, which is a unique situation considering that players typically have to take their free throws before leaving so that they could be eligible to return.
Before being forced to exit, Collins had 12 points, one rebound, and one steal in 16 minutes of play.
Clippers look to finish comeback attempt vs. Lakers sans John Collins
Without Collins, the Clippers will either have to play small and rely on Kawhi Leonard to play at the four, or they could bring Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. out and have them play on the wing.
The Clippers have mounted an admirable comeback from double digits down against the Lakers, and with ESPN's Jorge Sedano confirming on the broadcast that Collins won't be returning to play, they will have to beat LA at their own game instead of pummeling them with size the way having Collins allows them to.
