Hawks’ Dyson Daniels sets up game-winner with a perfect steal to lift Atlanta past Memphis at the buzzer
Dyson Daniels is at it again.
Daniels, the NBA’s steals leader, pulled off the perfect steal in the final seconds Monday night to lift the Atlanta Hawks to a wild 132-130 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at the buzzer.
Daniels, with just seconds left on the clock, easily picked Desmond Bane’s pocket as he was trying to drive to the rim with the score tied up. Daniels then dribbled once before launching the ball up to Caris LeVert, who made a layup right at the buzzer to push the Hawks to the win at the FedExForum.
The steal was Daniels’ third of the game. He entered the night averaging a career-high three per contest, too, which is by far the highest rate in the league. Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — who dropped another 50-point game on Monday night — is the second-closest player to Daniels, though he’s averaging only 1.8 steals a night.
Daniels is in his first season with the Hawks after he was traded to Atlanta this offseason by the New Orleans Pelicans, who selected him with the No. 8 overall pick in 2022 out of Australia. He’s in the midst of a breakout campaign with his new team, averaging 13.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists — all of which are career-highs.
Daniels had 14 points and seven assists in Monday’s win. Zaccharie Risacher led the way with 27 points while shooting 5-of-7 from behind the arc, and LeVert finished with 25 points off the bench. He had 16 of those 25 points in the fourth quarter. The win moved Atlanta to 28-33 on the season, though it’s lost five of its last seven games.
The Hawks, who sit in ninth in the Eastern Conference standings, will take on the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night.
Grizzlies lose Jaren Jackson Jr. in opening minutes
Though it went down to the wire, the Grizzlies played most of Monday night’s game without Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jackson, not two minutes into the contest, tried to chase down Daniels as he was going up for a layup. Jackson fouled Daniels, and the two crashed down underneath the basket. As Jackson went down, though, his left ankle rolled hard — which sent him falling into the basket clearly in a lot of pain.
Jackson got up and stayed in the game for one of Daniels’ free throws, but he was then subbed out.
Jackson did not return to the game. Further specifics on his injury are not yet known.
Jackson entered Monday’s game averaging a career-high 23.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game this season, his seventh in the league. The 25-year-old is in the third year of a four-year, $104.7 million deal with the Grizzlies, who selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in 2018.
Bane led the Grizzlies with a triple-double, with 35 points, 10 assists and 10 rebounds. Luke Kennard added 17 points, and Zach Edey finished with 15 points.
The Grizzlies sit at 38-23 on the year after Monday’s loss, which marked their third straight. They’ll host the Thunder next on Wednesday night.
