Collins credits injured teammate Ivica Zubac while delivering a standout performance in Saturday's victory.
The Los Angeles Clippers have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season, but Saturday night's 103-88 win over the Los Angeles Lakers provided a rare bright spot for a team that has struggled to find its footing.
With starting center Ivica Zubac exiting the game early due to a left ankle injury, John Collins stepped up in a major way and delivered one of his best performances of the season.
Collins Gives Credit to Zubac
After the game, Collins made sure to acknowledge his fallen teammate while discussing his own big night.
"Just trying to step up. Shout out to my guy big Zu who went out tonight."
Collins' words were short but meaningful, showing the bond between teammates during what has been a difficult season for the Clippers.
Zubac has been one of the team's most consistent performers this year, averaging 16.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, so losing him early in the first quarter could have been devastating.
Instead, Collins rose to the occasion and finished with 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and two steals across 32 minutes of action.
The veteran forward shot 2-of-3 from three-point range and has been showing much more consistency after suffering through a tough scoring slump in mid-November.
Why the Clippers Finally Won
The Clippers came into Saturday's game having lost five straight and eight of their last nine at home, so this victory was desperately needed.
Kawhi Leonard led the way with 32 points and 12 rebounds while James Harden added 21 points and 10 assists, but it was the team's defense that made the difference.
The Clippers held the Lakers to 38.6 percent shooting from the floor and just 6-of-38 from three-point range, with the Lakers missing 32 attempts from beyond the arc.
Los Angeles led throughout the game and held off a fourth-quarter run from the Lakers that cut the lead to seven points.
When the Lakers got close, Collins and Harden answered with back-to-back three-pointers that helped put the game away for good.
The win improves the Clippers to 7-21 on the season while the Lakers drop to 19-8 and remain in strong position in the Western Conference standings.
For the Clippers, victories have been hard to come by this season, but Collins and the rest of the roster showed they can still compete when they're healthy and locked in on defense.