The 2-5 Bulls woke up to a dose of good news Tuesday morning.
Following a date with Anthony Davis, LeBron James and the Lakers Tuesday night at the United Center, the Bulls will take on an Atlanta team that just lost one of its best players.
Hawks forward John Collins was hit with a 25-game suspension Tuesday morning for violating the league's Anti-Drug Policy:
Collins is currently second on the Hawks with 17 points per game and leads the team in rebounds (8.8), blocks (2.0) and minutes (32.2) while starting all five games for the 2-3 squad.
The Bulls, meanwhile, have dropped three of their last four contests entering play Tuesday night. They will also play the Hawks another time during Collins' 25-game hiatus — Dec. 11 at the UC.
The Collins suspension now means the Bulls will likely see old friend Jabari Parker starting at power forward Wednesday night.
NBA
For what it's worth, Collins said he plans to fight the suspension in a statement provided by the Hawks.
"I have always been incredibly careful about what I put in my body, but I took a supplement which, unbeknownst to me, had been contaminated with an illegal component," Collins said in the statement. "I plan to fight my suspension in arbitration so I can get back on the court as soon as possible and continue to contribute to our 2019-20 campaign."
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