Atlanta Hawks: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season
7. John Collins sets career high — twice!
During the 2017-18 season, John Collins never scored more than 21 points in a game, and he only did so twice that season. In his second year as a pro, he put up 20 or more points in a single game on 32 different occasions, including six games that were 30 or more.
His two highest-scoring games came around the midpoint of the season. The first time was on Jan. 23 against the Chicago Bulls.
CAREER-HIGH 35 PTS with 8 REB for @jcollins20_ in the @ATLHawks victory tonight! #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/Q9jJj1I6VS
— NBA (@NBA) January 24, 2019
The biggest statistic that stood out from this matchup was Collins’ shooting from beyond the arc. He got his dunks and layups in thanks to stellar passing from his teammates, but Collins also hit all four of his long range attempts against the Bulls.
Collins then found a way to outdo himself the next week on Feb. 2 against the Phoenix Suns.
John Collins (35 PTS, 16 REB) went OFF for the @ATLHawks tonight! #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/a6KksqIUBm
— NBA TV (@NBATV) February 3, 2019
He wasn’t as deadly from the 3-point line in that game as he was against the Bulls, but he still managed to hit two triples. Collins shot 13-for-20 from floor overall and went 7-for-11 from the charity stripe as well.
He stuffed the stat sheet better against the Suns as well, pulling down 16 rebounds and finishing with two assists and a block. Collins’ 16 rebounds gave him his 21st of 32 double-doubles this season.