Dyson Daniels, Hawks put on defensive clinic in win against Hornets

The Hawks picked up a second straight win on Friday in the first night of back-to-back games. They decimated the Hornets on the road in Charlotte at Spectrum Center, winning 128-81.

The 47-point win marked the Hawks’ largest margin of victory in franchise history.

“I think it starts defensively,” Hawks forward Jalen Johnson said on the broadcast after the game. “Defensively, Dyson (Daniels) sets the tone. We all just match the energy. We know we’re on the back-to-back, so we know we have to come out to get energy.”

The Hornets couldn’t slow down Daniels on the defensive end. The Hawks guard got into the passing lanes, deflecting passes to teammates or collecting them himself.

That allowed the Hawks to score 25 points off the Hornets’ 27 turnovers.

Quick stats: Daniels finished just one steal shy of his career best, with seven. He also had 11 points and 9 rebounds in just 23 minutes.

With the defense generating their offense, the Hawks fed the ball to plenty of players. Johnson led the Hawks in scoring with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Aaron Wiggins had 19 points off the bench.

Turning point

The Hawks took control early in the first quarter. They got hot quickly after Johnson converted a three-point play with 8:47 left in the frame, before CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker hit on back-to-back 3s.

Then, McCollum was fouled on a 3 before sinking his third of the game 30 seconds later. Lu Dort got in on the 3-point shooting just under a minute later.

Over nearly seven minutes, the Hawks went on a 22-9 run.

They never let up, opening the second quarter with an 11-5 run that pushed their lead to 20.

Highlight play

Hawks’ rookies Kingston Flemings and Zuby Ejiofor officially recorded their first NBA buckets.

Flemings’ shot came in an unconventional way. The first-year guard drove to the rim and went up for the floater, but it went wide. Center Jock Landale grabbed the offensive board and went for the putback, but hit back iron.

But Flemings climbed the ladder and tipped in the offensive rebound.

Ejiofor came in off the bench in the fourth quarter and made his first NBA basket on a 3 from the corner off a kick-out from Flemings. Ejiofor never let his hands drop after the pass and went straight up for the jumper.

What they said

“This game, they were just giving it to me. I’m not going to lie.” --Daniels on the Atlanta News First broadcast about having 12 steals over the last two games.