Hawks' De'Andre Hunter, John Collins exit with injuries

Hawks starting forwards De'Andre Hunter and John Collins exited Wednesday’s game against Orlando with injuries and were ruled out for the remainder of the contest, Atlanta announced.

Collins, the power forward, suffered a left ankle sprain, while Hunter, the small forward, is dealing with right thigh soreness. As Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes, the Hawks were up 20 points at half time, so it’s possible that may have contributed to the decision to sit both players.

The Hawks announced prior to the game (h/t Lauren L. Williams of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution) that Hunter was available but dealing with right hip flexor soreness. Considering the hip flexor is located at the top part of the thigh, it’s reasonable to speculate that there could be a correlation. The team also announced that reserve wing Justin Holiday had entered the health and safety protocols and was out Wednesday.

Guard Gary Harris was injured during Wednesday’s game as well, experiencing right hamstring tightness that caused the Magic to rule him out for the remainder of the contest, per a team announcement. Harris was making his sixth appearance in 2022-23 after offseason surgery to repair a torn meniscus caused him to miss Orlando’s first 15 games.

We’ll have to wait for more updates to determine whether Hunter, Collins or Harris might miss more time with their respective injuries.

The 12-10 Hawks had lost three in a row heading into Wednesday’s contest but snapped that skip with their 125-108 win. With the loss, the Magic dropped six straight. Their record is 5-17, the second-worst mark in the NBA.