There are some noteworthy injury updates as the Chicago Bulls get set to host the Atlanta Hawks at home at the United Center in their first game out of the All-Star Break on Feb. 24. Maybe the most notable injury update for this game, though, concerns the standout Hawks power forward and former Wake Forest Deamon Deacons star John Collins.
According to the latest NBA injury report on the afternoon of Feb. 24, the Hawks have Collins listed as “doubtful” as he’s dealing with a strain in his right foot. This could be the fourth consecutive game that Collins is missing for the Hawks in dealing with this lingering foot injury.
The last game that Collins played in for the Hawks came back on Feb. 11 in a convincing 15-point loss on the road to the San Antonio Spurs. But it looked like injury issues were already hampering Collins in that loss to the Spurs as he only played in around 21 minutes on the floor, mustering just four points in the process.
Collins is a player that averages around 31-32 minutes on the floor per game for the Hawks.
If nothing else, Collins is likely going to be limited for the Hawks. That could have a major impact on how this game plays out for the Bulls. Collins’ absence for the Hawks in their Dec. 27 and 29 losses to the Bulls was obviously very detrimental to their frontcourt unit.
John Collins could be missing for the Hawks against the Chicago Bulls due to a foot injury
In those two games combined, the Hawks were outrebounded by a margin of three. Considering some of the issues the Bulls were experiencing on the glass at that time, that just goes to show how big of an absence Collins was for their frontcourt unit.
Moreover, the Bulls do have essentially all of their frontcourt unit healthy for this game. Center Nikola Vucevic is off the injury report for this game after showing up on it in the last few games before the All-Star Break.
The Bulls could also debut their newly signed former Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings big man Tristan Thompson. Second-year head coach Billy Donovan and the Bulls signed Thompson after the Pacers bought him out last week.
Coming into this game, the Bulls are sporting a record of 38-21. They are riding a five-game winning streak following their Feb. 16 win over the Kings at home. Tip-off time between the Bulls and Hawks on Feb. 24 is set for 7 p.m. CT at the United Center in Chicago.