Collins shows true colors in Clippers' win over Nets.
The Los Angeles Clippers dominated the Brooklyn Nets 126-89 on Sunday night, but the final score only told part of the story as John Collins made it clear he will always have his teammates' backs.
After James Harden was fouled hard during the blowout victory at Intuit Dome, Collins immediately stepped up to confront the situation, leading to a brief physical altercation with Nets players.
When asked about the incident in his postgame press conference, Collins did not mince words about what drives him when things get chippy on the court.
Collins Sends a Message
"It's everything that I stand for. Whenever I'm challenged, I feel like it brings the dog out of me," Collins said. "Especially when you wanna be physical as well and be physical with my teammates. It turns me up… You gonna go touch Uno, I'm gonna come see you too. I'll be around."
"Uno" is James Harden's nickname among teammates, and Collins made it known that anyone who touches him will have to answer to the whole squad.
Collins finished with 18 points.
The 28-year-old has been averaging 13.2 points and 4.9 rebounds while shooting a career-high 42.7 percent from three-point range and 55.9% from the field, according to Basketball Reference.
Clippers Climbing Back
The victory improved the Los Angeles Clippers to 21-24 while the Nets dropped to 12-32.
For a team that started the year 6-21, the turnaround has been nothing short of remarkable as the Clippers have now won 15 of their last 20 games.
Kawhi Leonard led the way with 28 points in just 25 minutes, extending his streak of 20-plus point games to 24 consecutive appearances while Harden added 19 points and eight assists before the hard foul that sparked Collins' protective response.
The transformation in Collins' role has been one of the keys to the Clippers' resurgence.
Head coach Ty Lue has praised Collins' defensive improvements, noting the work he has put in with assistant coach Jeremy Castleberry.
Over his last 10 games, Collins has averaged 14.5 points while shooting an incredible 61.1 percent from downtown.
A Team Coming Together
Collins has been vocal about believing in this team throughout their difficult early-season stretch, and his actions on Sunday backed up those words.
After a cold start following his offseason trade from the Utah Jazz, Collins has found his footing in Tyronn Lue's system.
The Clippers now sit 1.5 games behind Portland for the ninth seed.
With Collins recently expressing his desire to remain in Los Angeles beyond his expiring contract, his willingness to stand up for teammates like Harden only strengthens the bond this group is building as they push toward the postseason.