Dyson Daniels flashed on both ends of the floor and played a monumental role on a rival star as the Atlanta Hawks staged an upset of the New York Knicks.
The 17-19 Hawks led by as many as 26 points in the third period before closing out the shock 111-99 result against the Eastern Conference two-seed at Madison Square Garden.
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Australian guard Daniels scored 11 points on an efficient 5-8 shooting from the field, adding six rebounds, eight assists and swooping for two steals in an equal-team-high 38 minutes of action.
But typically, it was his industrious work on the defensive end of the floor that drew plaudits from pundits.
“You have to love how active Dyson Daniels has been in this first half. He’s been active on both ends of the floor,” former Hawks player and broadcast analyst Brian Oliver said in the second quarter.
In particular, Daniels played the role of chief irritant for superstar New York guard Jalen Brunson, a two-time All-Star and two-time All-NBA Second Team member.
After Brunson committed an eight-second backcourt violation, the Hawks broadcast suggested Daniels was having a significant impact on the All-Star.
“A little bit of frustration; I think Dyson Daniels has made it difficult for him with the level of physicality,” Oliver said.
Play-by-play caller Bob Rathbun added: “He may be getting in his head a little bit.”
NBA Wrap: Daniels delivers as Hawks win | 02:29
Atlanta led New York by 13 points at half-time, as Daniels was on track for a triple-double with seven points, five rebounds and six assists.
The ‘Great Barrier Thief’ also hadn’t let Brunson — who has a knack for getting aggressive inside the key — get to the free-throw line while guarding him.
Daniels picked up right where he left off to start the second half, making a trademark floater before getting loose for a breakaway dunk to take his points total to 11 for the night.
“Right now, he is doing a masterful job of running this ball club,” Oliver said of the Aussie in the third quarter as the Hawks opened up a 20-point lead.
The Bendigo native continually forced passes or tough shots from Brunson, staying in front of the diminutive guard with his shrewd defensive instincts and point-of-attack prowess.
“Daniels has had him (Brunson) in solitary confinement tonight,” Rathbun said.
Daniels exited for a well-deserved spell late in the third, and hilariously, Brunson converted an and-one at Kristaps Porzingis’ expense just seconds after the Aussie had checked out.
Brunson struggled mightily with Daniels as his primary defender, but thanks to screen actions and rotations, he worked his way to 24 points — though it came on an inefficient 10-24 shooting and a measly 1-10 clip from three-point range.
The Knicks cut Atlanta’s lead to just 13 early in the fourth as the home side made its anticipated run.
In a crucial play, with New York within 11 points and three minutes remaining, Daniels secured a massive offensive rebound off a missed shot and dished to Jalen Johnson for the and-one dunk to put the visitors back up 14.
Post-game, forward Nickeil Alexander-Walker spoke glowingly of Daniels’ unafraid mindset.
“He’s relentless, he keeps going,”
“And he’s not afraid of a matchup, he’s not afraid to, in this day and age, get embarrassed and have guys score and take it to heart.
“I think Dyson has a good amount of amnesia when it comes to that — like ‘I don’t know what happened’.
“He kept showing up, and he was tenacious on the ball, and he was what we needed.”
GIANNIS MAKES HISTORY IN DRAMATIC BUCKS WIN
Meanwhile, Giannis Antetokounmpo threw down the game-winning dunk with 4.7 seconds remaining to lift the Milwaukee Bucks to a 122-121 victory over the Charlotte Hornets and grab a slice of NBA history.
The Bucks trailed by as many as 16 on their home floor, but Antetokounmpo scored 12 of his 30 points in the final quarter to help seal the win in a frantic finish that saw five lead changes in the final 45.7 seconds.
The two-time NBA Most Valuable Player added 10 rebounds and five assists. It was his 158th regular-season game with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, overtaking Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Oscar Robertson for the most in NBA history.
“It’s an incredible accomplishment,” Antetokounmpo said.
“I don’t want to come here and just do my job and go back home,” he said. “I just want to keep on evolving, keep on learning.”
The Bucks, whose erratic season included an eight-game injury absence for Antetokounmpo in December, improved to 15-20.
“We’re not there yet, but we’re trending towards the right direction,” Antetokounmpo said after Milwaukee’s third win in four games.
Giddey limps off with hamstring scare | 00:18
IN OTHER GAMES AROUND THE LEAGUE…
The NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder romped to an 131-94 victory over a Golden State Warriors team missing the star trio of Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points and Chet Holmgren added 15 points, 15 rebounds and four blocked shots for OKC, who became the first team this season to reach 30 wins as they improved to 30-5.
In Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell scored 33 points and Darius Garland added 18 as the Cavaliers edged the injury-depleted Denver Nuggets 113-108.
Three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic was among four sidelined Nuggets starters as he continues to recover from a hyperextended left knee.
The Nuggets took a 97-88 lead into the fourth quarter and led 105-101 with 4:43 remaining before the Cavs reeled off 10 straight points in a spurt that included a go-ahead three-pointer from Garland.
Cleveland outscored Denver 25-11 in the final period. Jamal Murray led the visitors with 34 points but had just six in the second half.
“I feel like the first three quarters, we just really weren’t ourselves,” Mitchell said after the Cavaliers’ third straight win, adding that the key to keeping the victories coming was “to be that team we were defensively — we know we can be and everything else takes care of itself.”
De’Aaron Fox scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the short-handed San Antonio Spurs to a 123-113 victory over the reeling Indiana Pacers.
San Antonio’s French superstar Victor Wembanyama skipped the trip to Indianapolis after hyperextending his left knee in a win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Wembanyama could return for Saturday’s home game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Pascal Siakam scored 23 points for the Pacers, who trailed the entire second half on the way to an 11th straight defeat.