ATL 126, GSW 110: Daniels Hyper-Efficient With 70 ESPN FP
Destiny Williams
Math Teacher & Basketball Coach ยท Atlanta Hawks fan
Hawks 126, Warriors 110: Dyson Daniels Went Absolutely Insane, But Here's What Actually Matters
Listen, I'm not gonna lie. That Hawks win felt good. Real good. Watching my team handle business at home against a Warriors squad that's been up and down all season is the kind of thing that makes a Tuesday night better. But let me pump the brakes on the team loyalty for a second because the fantasy story here is WAY more interesting than just "Hawks won."
Top Performers
| Player | ESPN FP | Yahoo FP | Tonight | Season Avg | +/- Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dyson Daniels | 70.0 | 56.4 | 28/7/6 | 11.5/6.6/6.0 | +16.5 |
| Mouhamed Gueye | 48.0 | 38.0 | 16/10/2 | 4.5/3.5/0.8 | +11.5 |
| CJ McCollum | 35.0 | 32.1 | 23/3/5 | 18.6/3.4/3.6 | +4.4 |
| De'Anthony Melton | 33.0 | 30.4 | 20/2/4 | 13.2/3.1/2.3 | +6.8 |
| Nate Williams | 34.0 | 27.8 | 19/4/2 | 5.4/1.4/0.8 | +13.6 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 28.0 | 25.9 | 17/2/1 | 20.4/3.5/3.7 | -3.4 |
| Pat Spencer | 30.0 | 24.5 | 18/0/3 | 6.7/2.3/3.4 | +11.3 |
| Draymond Green | 24.0 | 24.2 | 13/6/4 | 8.4/5.6/5.3 | +4.6 |
| Onyeka Okongwu | 20.0 | 20.5 | 6/5/5 | 15.6/7.8/3.2 | -9.6 |
| Zaccharie Risacher | 25.0 | 20.4 | 17/2/0 | 10.0/3.9/1.3 | +7.0 |
Dyson Daniels Had the Night of His Life (But Stay Calm)
Dyson Daniels put up 56.4 Yahoo points and that's not a typo. 28 points on 12-17 shooting, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals in 32 minutes. That's not a good game, that's a career night. He was up +16.5 from his season average and looked like an All-NBA selection out there.
Here's the real talk though: this is probably not sustainable. Daniels is having a great season after winning Most Improved last year, but he's averaging 11.5 ppg. He shot 71% from the floor and basically played mistake-free basketball. That happens sometimes, especially when a role player gets going early and the team keeps feeding him. But his season line is still 11.5/6.6/6.0, and that's a guard who should be rostered everywhere but isn't your guy to rely on for 28-point performances.
That said, don't trade him. He's all-defensive, he doesn't turn the ball over, and nights like this prove he's capable of more when the matchups line up. He's the kind of glue guy I always preach about, and this game shows why you hold onto those guys.
The Real Surprise: Mouhamed Gueye Is Actually Here to Play
Mouhamed Gueye went 6-6 from the floor with four threes and 10 boards. That's 38 Yahoo points from a bench player averaging 4.5 ppg. The ownership bump to 87.6% makes sense, but pump the brakes before you go all-in.
Gueye is a rim-runner and rebounder who got his opportunities tonight because the Hawks were up and the game got loose. You're looking at a guy who was basically unowned yesterday. Even with this explosion, I wouldn't be shocked to see his minutes normalize. But he's worth a pickup in deeper leagues where you need a hail mary. Just don't start him confidently next week.
The Actual Concern: Okongwu Got Cooked
Onyeka Okongwu was a total letdown with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists in 25 minutes on 3-7 shooting. That's -9.6 from his season average and exactly the kind of performance that makes you panic if you drafted him for consistency.
He's been solid all season at 15.6/7.8 and gets enough usage that he should eat on most nights. Tonight he just got out-matched and out-hustled. The Hawks were blowing Golden State out, so there's some game script stuff here, but Okongwu needs to be better when the offense is flowing like that. Worth watching his next couple games to make sure this isn't a trend.
Warriors Bench Went Off (And That's Not Great)
The Warriors started their core guys and got absolutely torched. Look at the bench: De'Anthony Melton went for 30.4 Yahoo points, Nate Williams dropped 27.8, Pat Spencer had 24.5. Those are solid nights from role players.
The problem? This means the Warriors were getting destroyed so badly that bench scoring doesn't matter. The starters were in foul trouble or just not competitive. Draymond Green had a decent game at 24.2 Yahoo points, but he can't carry this load. The Warriors core guys basically didn't play, which tells you everything about how this game went.
If you own any of those Warriors bench guys, don't get attached. They had a good night because of game context, not because they suddenly became consistent contributors. Brandin Podziemski was basically a ghost at -1 ESPN points, which is the real Warriors story.
CJ McCollum Stays Reliable
CJ McCollum put up 23 points and was exactly what he's supposed to be. 32.1 Yahoo points on solid efficiency. He's your "I won't lose you this week" guy, and that matters in fantasy basketball. Up 4.4 from his average, he's doing his job without needing to have a career night to contribute.
The Bottom Line
This was a Hawks statement win that got out of hand, and the fantasy gold came from depth pieces going off because the game was never close. Daniels had a monster night, Gueye flashed potential, and the Warriors bench got garbage time points that don't mean much.
Don't overreact to any of this. Daniels is still a role player. Gueye is still a deep league flier. Okongwu will bounce back. The Warriors got worked and their stars didn't play meaningful minutes.
That's the whole story.