Dyson Daniels scored 11 points on Friday night. That was the least of it. The Atlanta guard had seven steals in 23 minutes, grabbed nine rebounds (five on the offensive glass) and finished plus-32, and the Atlanta Hawks turned his defense into a 128-81 demolition of the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hawks are 2-0 after the win at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, where 19,524 watched Atlanta lead by as many as 49. Charlotte fell to 1-1.
Hornets Turned It Over 25 Times
Atlanta had 17 steals as a team, and Charlotte committed 25 turnovers (27 counting team turnovers), per ESPN's box score. The Hawks scored 25 points off those giveaways and piled up 37 assists on 48 baskets. Charlotte shot 34 percent overall and made 11 of 51 threes.
Brandon Miller had the roughest night in teal: 2 of 14 from the floor and 1 of 11 from deep for six points. Naz Reid led Charlotte with 17 points but had seven turnovers.
Jalen Johnson and the Atlanta Bench
Jalen Johnson was the Hawks' best scorer and playmaker, with 19 points on 9 of 16 shooting, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals. Aaron Wiggins matched him with 19 off the bench on 7 of 9 shooting, Corey Kispert added 11 on 4 of 5, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker posted a game-high plus-43. CJ McCollum scored 13 in 22 minutes.
Atlanta returns home to host the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, while Charlotte hosts the Miami Heat the same day. Full numbers are in the ESPN box score. More on our NBA page.
