Dyson Daniels registered his first career triple-double in a “special” performance, and the Atlanta Hawks launched a new era without Trae Young with a statement win.
Plus, Jock Landale recorded a double-double against an undermanned Oklahoma City City, but the Aussie’s Memphis Grizzlies fell one point short of upstaging the NBA’s best team after a fourth-quarter fadeout.
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In Denver, Daniels notched 17 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists and four steals, and Atlanta powered past the Nuggets 110-87 thanks to a dominant 36-12 fourth quarter.
Daniels had gotten bitterly close to logging his first triple-double in recent games, including the rising Aussie recording five double-doubles so far this season.
But on Saturday (all times AEDT), the 22-year-old ticked off the huge milestone with ease, getting a rebound and an assist in the early minutes of the fourth term to reach his triple-double.
And he showed why he’s going to be a key piece for this Hawks team moving forward sans Young with a brilliant display on both ends of the floor.
“It’s pretty special, getting a triple-double’s not an easy thing,” Daniels said post-match.
“I’m just glad we got the win. But I’ve been close to getting that triple-double for a few games now, so I’m glad I got it done.”
Hawks coach Quin Snyder gave plaudits for the way Daniels is contributing in multiple areas.
“It’s representative of how he’s playing, he’s just a complete player,” Snyder said.
“His activity in so many different parts of the game, particularly on the boards. The way he’s rebounding for a guard is really important to us.”
Jalen Johnson added 29 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 22 as the Hawks recorded their second-straight win over an undermanned Nuggets team missing star duo Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray and improved to 19-21 overall.
Atlanta was without Zaccharie Risacher and Kristaps Porzingis, in addition to the recently acquired CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert from the Young trade with Washington.
But they had all the pieces they needed on Saturday to get a big road victory, with Daniels helping lead the way.
He got busy down the stretch of the second term, scoring four-straight Hawks points before assisting on back-to-back Johnson threes to help the visitors lead 58-50 at half-time.
However, Denver pushed ahead in the second half, winning the third quarter 25-16 after a fiery period following a tense moment between Mouhamed Gueye and Aaron Gordon that resulted in a double technical foul.
It saw the Nuggets take a 75-74 edge going into the final stanza, with an Onyeka Okongwu triple on the buzzer getting some momentum back the Hawks’ way.
And it was all Atlanta from there.
Daniels set the tone early in the fourth quarter, opening the period with an and-one that kickstarted a 24-3 Hawks run as Snyder’s team ballooned its lead out to 16 points and never looked back.
The Aussie had full faith in the group Atlanta had moving forward after acquiring McCollum and Kispert in the Young trade earlier this week.
“We know what it is; Trae was the engine room of this team for a long time. We wish him the best in Washington,” Daniels said on the Hawks broadcast post-game.
“But now we’ve got to focus on our guys that we’ve got now in the locker room. We’ve got guys who can play, we’ve got guys who can handle the ball and get downhill — CJ and Corey coming in, they’re very good players as well, they’re smart.
“Looking forward to the rest of the season and building on it.”
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Meanwhile, with tall timber Isaiah Hartenstein, Chet Holmgren and Jaylin Williams all out of action for the Thunder in Memphis, Melbourne big man Landale took his opportunity with both hands on Saturday as Memphis collapsed late to lose 117-116.
In 28 minutes of action, Landale scored 13 points on an efficient 5-7 shooting, added 10 rebounds and two assists and was a net +5 in his time on the floor.
The 30-year-old, starting in the continued injury absence of centre Zach Edey, had nine points and four rebounds in the first six minutes of the game, taking full advantage of little-known Thunder reserve big Branden Carlson.
The Boomers star was an absolute monster on the offensive glass in the first half, teaching Carlson a lesson in boxing out as the hosting Grizzlies jumped out to a considerable lead.
It’s worth noting the Thunder were also without reigning Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in addition to the decimated frontcourt, with standout forward Jalen Williams doing the majority of the heavy-lifting for the visitors.
Landale entered double digits in the fourth quarter on a short-range make, before checking out of the game with just under five minutes left.
He returned with three minutes left during clutch time and scored a crucial hook shot from 10 feet out with 37.3 seconds left to narrow the margin to one point.
The Grizzlies had a chance to win the game in the final possession — with Landale open in the post with a mismatch on smaller Thunder guard Lu Dort — but guard Cedric Coward couldn’t make something happen as OKC stole the ball away as time expired.
Memphis, who led by as many as 20 points late in the first half, was outscored by 14 points by OKC in the fourth to fall to 16-22.
Meanwhile, Landale’s superstar teammate Ja Morant — the latest big NBA name embroiled in trade talk — sat for the fourth-straight game due to his right calf contusion.
He could be seen on the Grizzlies’ bench in grey sweats and with a hood over his head, looking less than pleased, according to observers at FedEx Forum.
It had earlier on Saturday been reported by ESPN insider Shams Charania that the Grizzlies were taking trade calls on Morant “for the first time” ahead of the February dealing deadline.
The electric point guard, who in seven seasons in Memphis has gone to the All-Star game twice, reportedly told players and former coaches around the league he’d no longer play for Memphis, per ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
The 26-year-old was earlier this season suspended one game for conduct detrimental to the team, with an ESPN report detailing Morant felt “alienated by teammates, who were told to leave the star guard alone so he could work through the issues that led to the suspension”.
ALL RESULTS
Raptors 117 Celtics 125
76ers 103 Magic 91
Pelicans 128 Wizards 107
Clippers 121 Nets 105
Thunder 117 Grizzlies 116
Hawks 110 Nuggets 87
Knicks 107 Suns 112
Kings – Warriors
Rockets – Trail Blazers
Bucks – Lakers
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