11
Nov
2026
Aussies in the NBA
Dyson Daniels' stunning start survives Luka Dončić's 32-point night
Atlanta Hawks’ Dyson Daniels and Los Angeles Lakers’ Luka Dončić embrace after the game at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, on November 10, 2026 (AEDT). Photo: Joe Boatman/NBAE via Getty Images. Copyright 2026 NBAE.
Highlights
Daniels went 4-from-4 with four steals, but Luka Dončić's supporting cast won it for the Lakers.
- Dyson Daniels has 118 points, 85 rebounds, 69 assists and 36 steals through 12 games
- Luka Dončić scored 32 on 11-from-22 shooting as the Lakers won 124-114
- Daniels says Dončić cannot be guarded by one player and called it a team effort
Australian Boomers guard Dyson Daniels' historic start to the 2026-27 NBA season now includes holding Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić more than seven points below his season average, despite the Hawks falling short 124-114 at home on Tuesday, November 10, 2026 (AEDT).
The 23-year-old Victorian held MVP candidate Dončić to just 32 points on 11-for-22 from the field (3-for-11 threes) and 7-for-7 from the free-throw line.
Dončić, 27, is averaging 39.2 points per game this season and came in on the back of 53, 40, 42, and in his previous four.
"Luka, obviously, probably the hardest guy to guard in the NBA right now," Daniels said, sporting a Richmond Tigers AFL jumper. #gotiges
"And then he's also a willing passer. So (Sandro Mamukelashvili) made some big shots, (Colin) Sexton made big shots, Ziaire Williams made big shots.
"So I just feel like, you know, if that's the game plan, you're trying to give that up, then they did a good job of executing out of our blitzes and stuff like that.
"But yeah, I mean, I think we hurt ourselves a little bit too tonight."
Daniels is the first player since Hall of Famer and six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen in 1994 to have 100+ points, 75+ rebounds, 50+ assists, 30+ steals in the first 11 games of a season.
After the first 11, he had 108 points, 79 rebounds, 61 assists and 32 steals. After the Lakers game, it's 118 points, 85 rebounds, 69 assists, and 36 steals.
He is leading the league in steals at 3.0 per game and is pulling down 3.4 offensive rebounds per game from the guard spot. Those ahead of him are all bigs.
The 7-5 Hawks are +25 in their first 12, while Daniels himself is +58 in his minutes - Atlanta is -34 in the minutes he's been off the floor. Even removing the 47-point win in Charlotte, the Hawks are -22 over the other 11 games, while Daniels was still +27 in those games.
"I just think I'm being more aggressive on the defensive end," Daniels said.
"I feel like last year I went a little bit more passive. This year I'm trying to be more aggressive on the ball, picking up, trying to turn people, trying to create turnovers and stuff like that.
"So yeah, I think it's just more of an aggressive thing on defence."
The mentality extended to sticking to the scout on Dončić.
"Like I said, Luka is, you know, you can't guard him with one guy," Daniels added.
"He's going to get those step-backs because he's shooting like 40-something per cent on them this year.
"And then he's really good at getting in the lane and getting fouled. So it's a team effort.
"We've got to be there for each other. I thought we did a pretty good job on him tonight, but there were other guys that really hurt us with those big shots that they made.
"We also hurt ourselves with turnovers and stuff like that. So we've got to look at the tape and see what went wrong. But we'll come out and be better in a couple of days."
