The news on Clint Capela’s knee injury was as good as could be hoped for: He is out for a week and will be re-evaluated then.
Still, that means Capela is out for Game 1 against the Heat on Sunday in Miami, so John Collins is going to try to return, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.
Atlanta's John Collins will play in Game 1 vs. Heat today, barring issues in warmups, sources said. Gut-it-out return for the Hawks, who are without Clint Capela. https://t.co/ZMpGsL0tUN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2022
The combination of a finger and a foot injury has had Collins out since March 11 and having played only four games since the All-Star break.
Collins was a big part of the Hawks’ playoff run a season ago, averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds a game, plus providing an athletic rim protector in the paint.
The Hawks will need all of that going up against a deep Heat team that includes Bam Adebayo on the front line.
