Dyson Daniels filled the offensive boots left by his injured teammates, Josh Giddey hit a rare team-high mark, while Ben Simmons was ruled out moments before tip-off. Average of 9 LIVE Regular Season games per week plus the best of the NBA Playoffs, including every game of the NBA Conference Finals & NBA Finals LIVE on ESPN, available via Kayo New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
Simmons, who was initially listed as ‘available’ for the Brooklyn Nets’ clash with the Miami Heat and had recently battled a bout of illness, was a late scratch due to lower back soreness. In Atlanta, Dyson Daniels and the undermanned Hawks fell to the lowly Toronto Raptors. A larger-than-usual offensive burden was placed on Daniels’ shoulders on Sunday, with dependable scoring forwards Jalen Johnson, DeAndre Hunter and No.
1 draft pick Zaccharie Risacher all absent due to illness and injury, respectively. Unsurprisingly, however, the Australian guard stepped up to the plate and provided playmaking and scoring punch to aid All-Star backcourt teammate Trae Young, who struggled from the field in the first half, ending the first two periods with eight points on 3-9 shooting and a team-worst -16 plus-minus. After two, Daniels had scored eight points on 4-6 shooting and added five rebounds, five assists and two steals.
He did, however, also record four first-half turnovers as the Hawks trailed the 14th-placed Raptors — 12-32 on the season and 2-19 away from home — .
