Danilo Gallinari has filled-in admirably for the Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks (31-32) have won two in a row thanks in no small part to the efforts of Danilo Gallinari. Their 117-114 win over Washington put them 2.5 games up on the Wizards for the final play-in spot but they also got an added bump by virtue of having the same win percentage as the Charlotte Hornets entering the night.

They now sit ninth in the Eastern Conference with a chance for a .500 record for the first time since Dec 15 with a win over the Detroit Pistons who have won two in a row.

John Collins returned on Friday after a  – he finished with nine points, six rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal displaying his versatility in just under 25 minutes of action. Per Nate McMillan, Collins reported no ill-effects postgame.

While great for the Hawks, a healthy Collins spells the end for Gallinari as a starter.

The Atlanta Hawks got some vintage performances from Gallo as a starter

Gallinari had 10 points, three boards, and one assist. He didn’t shoot particularly well going just 33.3 percent from the floor. But he hit 2-of-5 threes (40%) and finished as a team-best plus-13 on the night. Trae Young (25 points and eight assists) was the only other starter to finish with a positive plus-minus (plus-four) in a game that was too close for comfort.

Over the last eight games, Gallinari is averaging 12.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, and just a shade under one assist while shooting 40.2 percent overall and 34.2 percent from deep.

The efficiency doesn’t stand out. Included in that, however, is a three-point effort against the Toronto Raptors in which Gallinari shot 1-of-9 from the floor including going just 1-of-6 on his looks from beyond the arc.

He shot 43.5 percent overall and 37.5 percent from three in the other seven games.

Atlanta went 5-3 in that span including Friday’s triumph and won Gallo’s only other start this season which came way back on Jan 5 against the Sacramento Kings.

Collins’ return is critical for the Hawks postseason outlook and allows them to unlock one of the league’s most efficient lineups. The same can be said for Gallo heading back to a bench that has gotten the Hawks through a few games this season.

They ranked just 20th with 34.6 points per game before Gallinari stepped in for Collins. And over these last eight games, they rank 10th with 39.5 points per game. But that has more to do with Bogdan Bogdanovic’s incredible stretch that suggests he’s back to his old self more than anything to do with Gallinari.

He did notch a pair of outings with at least 25 points in this stretch though.

Young also seemed alright from his ankle sprain suffered a few games ago but Onyeka Okongwu missed his second consecutive game while in concussion protocol.

Still, as the roster gets healthy, Gallinari’s efforts stepping up when a big piece of the puzzle went down deserve recognition.