Dyson makes history in Hawks win as Simmons turns back the clock — NBA Wrap

Ben Simmons showed flashes of his best as the Los Angeles Clippers fell just short of victory in a 103-101 loss to a short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday.

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The Thunder, who were without Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren, were led by MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who had 26 points despite a poor shooting night.

Gilgeous-Alexander went 7-for-29 from the field but was a perfect 11-for-11 from the line as the Western Conference leaders further cemented their title credentials.

As for the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard looks healthy and ready for a post-season run after recording another double-double (25 points, 10 rebounds) while Simmons had eight points and seven rebounds in the loss.

Simmons checked into the game with the Clippers leading 24-20 late in the first quarter, replacing Kawhi Leonard to join a small line-up which featured James Harden, Bogdan Bogdanović, Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum.

Simmons made an immediate impact as he made a tough layup operating out of the pick-and-roll with Harden, driving aggressively to the rim for the finish.

But if Simmons was driving aggressively to the rim on that occasion he was a runaway freight train moments later when Harden came down with a defensive rebound and passed it off to the Australian, who immediately pushed the pace and charged directly at Aaron Wiggins in transition.

Simmons turned the clock back as he used all of his 6-foot-10 frame to barrel Wiggins out of the way for the easy finish, with the Thunder forced into a timeout after that play, trailing 31-22.

Simmons’ only real blemish of the quarter came on the next possession as he wildly lost control of the ball, turning it over as the Thunder converted that fastbreak opportunity into points.

But the flashes were still there from Simmons, who drove towards the rim again on the next possession and compressed the Oklahoma City defence, kicking it out to Bogdanović who missed a 3-pointer.

The shot may not have fallen but the look was there and it was evidence of how an aggressive Simmons can open up the court for the Clippers.

Los Angeles took a 34-24 lead into the second quarter, having held Gilgeous-Alexander to 3-for-11 from the field in the first quarter.

The Thunder superstar started to get to the line in the second, scoring six of his 11 points in the period from the free throw line as OKC rallied to go on a 13-0 run at one point on their way to a 57-51 halftime lead.

Oklahoma City out-scored Los Angeles 33-17 in the period, with the Clippers’ offence spluttering as they went 6-for-21 from the field during the quarter.

Gilgeous-Alexander opened the third with an and-1 and while the Thunder looked to be on the verge of pushing away from the Clippers, leading 70-61 midway through the quarter, L.A. went on a 9-0 run to tie up the game.

Another late scoring flurry kept things close by the end of the quarter as the Thunder took an 81-77 lead into the final 12 minutes.

After a brief but uneventful cameo late in the third quarter, Simmons put his stamp on the game again early in the fourth as he got a right-handed runner to fall.

That shot had the Clippers within one point of the Thunder as Leonard continued to build on his impressive return from injury, making a number of big plays down the stretch.

But both he and Harden couldn’t produce when it mattered most as the Clippers came up empty on a critical possession late in the game, seeing Oklahoma City home in a thriller.

DYSON MAKES NBA HISTORY IN HAWKS WIN

Josh Giddey may have done his best Dyson Daniels impression on Sunday with eight steals against the Lakers, but there is only one ‘Great Barrier Thief’.

And on Monday the Atlanta Hawks guard made NBA history, becoming the youngest player since at least 1973-74 to record 200 steals in a single season at just 22 years old.

His 202 steals and counting are the most in a season since Chris Paul (2008-09).

Daniels brought up the milestone when he got in the passing lane of Justin Edwards, quickly pushing the ball to Trae Young who found Mouhamed Gueye on the other end for the alley-oop.

The Bendigo bandit didn’t take long to add to his tally too, coming up with another steal on the next possession only to miss a wide-open dunk.

But it was a small blemish on what was otherwise another solid all-round performance from Daniels, who has emerged as Atlanta’s second-most important player next to backcourt partner Young.

Although, while Young may still be the unquestioned face of the franchise, Daniels has gone a long way to changing the defensive identity at the Hawks in his first season with the team.

The 22-year-old finished Monday’s 132-119 win over the Philadelphia 76ers with eight points, five steals, five rebounds and three assists.

While Daniels has further cemented himself as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, he is still unlikely at this point to take out Defensive Player of the Year.

Instead, Cleveland’s Evan Mobley and Golden State’s Draymond Green are the two leading contenders with bookmakers for the award.

But Golden State coach Steve Kerr said on Sunday in the wake of Atlanta’s 124-115 win over the Warriors that Daniels has a “great chance” of receiving the accolade.

It came after another standout defensive performance from Daniels, who had another three steals.

“He’s got a great chance,” Kerr said post-game of Daniels’ DPOY chances.

“Just watching tape to prepare for this game, the first two games I turned on — three steals immediately in each game. It was remarkable. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that.

“Literally the first three possessions of the game, three steals. He’s a wrecking crew. He causes a lot of havoc. Great hands, great anticipation. He’s for sure first team All-Defence and right in the mix (for DPOY).”

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— via AFP