Dyson Daniels won in a confrontation with a fellow Australian.
Additionally, Josh Green’s Charlotte Hornets continued their impressive streak with another big statement.
Daniels had 22 points on 10-of-15 shooting with nine assists and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Indiana Pacers 132-116 on Tuesday (all time AEDT).
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The rising Australian scored his first 3-pointer since Dec. 15 in a part of his game where he has struggled this season, including shooting just under 11 percent from beyond the arc.
Daniels also delivered a thunderclap against Micah Potter in the first quarter in one of the highlights of the match.
Pascal Siakam led the Pacers with 26 points and second-year Australian Johnny Furphy had six points, five rebounds and two steals and finished with a team-high +15 plus/minus in 18 minutes.
CJ McCollum came off the bench to produce 23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals to spark the Hawks and Nickeil Alexnder-Walker added 21 points.
The Hawks improved to 23-25 with their ninth home win in 22 games, including three straight wins.
This saw Atlanta solidify their play-in spot, now three games ahead of the East’s No. 11 seed, the Milwaukee Bucks.
But the Hornets are coming in hot after another big win and are within a half-game of Milwaukee.
Brandon Miller scored 30 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead Charlotte’s 130-93 win over Philadelphia after severe weather forced the early start of two NBA games.
Opening tips were postponed Tuesday for the two openers after a severe winter storm Monday dumped ice and snow on most of the United States.
The Hornets, 19-28, extended their winning streak to three games while the 76ers fell to 24-21.
Charlotte has now won eight of its last 13 games, including wins over Oklahoma City, the Lakers, Denver, Orlando and now Philadelphia.
Miller made 9 of 12 shots from the floor, including 6 of 9 from three-point range, and made 6 of 6 from the free throw line to lead the Hawks, who had seven other scorers in double figures but none on 13 points.
That included Josh Green, who had 12 points, including 5 of 5 shooting from the free throw line, with four assists, a three and a steal with a +21 plus/minus in 21 minutes coming off the bench.
Kelly Oubre Jr. led the Sixers with 17 points, with Tyrese Maxey — third in the NBA in scoring with 29.9 points per game — managing just six points on 3-of-12 shooting.
ALL RESULTS
Pacers 116 Falcons 132
76ers 93 Hornets 130
Magic – Riders
Trail Blazers – Celtics
Lakers – Bulls
Grizzlies – Rockets
Warriors – Timberwolves
