Hawks' John Collins out at least a week with ankle injury

Hawks big man John Collins, who suffered a sprained left ankle during Tuesday’s loss in Phoenix, underwent an MRI on Wednesday, according to the team. Following that MRI, Collins was diagnosed with a lateral ankle sprain and associated bone bruise, the Hawks announced Thursday.

Although Collins has begun “low-level” rehab activities, he’ll miss some time as a result of the injury. Atlanta said Collins will be re-evaluated in one week, and there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to return at that point.

Collins, who will be a restricted free agent at season’s end, is having a strong contract year for the Hawks, averaging 18.2 PPG and 7.8 RPG on .545/.380/.838 shooting in 47 games (30.3 MPG).

The 23-year-old has been Atlanta’s second-leading scorer and a full-time starter this season, so the team will miss him as it jockeys for playoff position. Currently, the Hawks rank seventh in the East with a 23-24 record, but only a half-game separates them from the teams ahead of and behind them in the standings.

With Collins out, the Hawks figure to lean more heavily on Danilo Gallinari and Solomon Hill in the frontcourt.