NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels rejects the notion that he pretended to spray gunfire toward former teammates after hitting a 3-pointer in front of New Orleans' bench during a 126-111 victory over the Pelicans on Sunday night.
“I was just telling them all that it was worth 3 points," Daniels said, noting that when he extended his right arm toward the Pelicans' bench area, his thumb and two other fingers were extended, representing 3 points.
When told his gesture also appeared to resemble a gun, Daniels said, “It might have looked like it, but I was just telling them it was worth 3 points. You know, pointing at them all, that’s all it was. I was making sure they all knew how many points it was worth."
The NBA has handed down some high-profile fines for gun gestures in the past decade, including $35,000 to Josh Jackson in 2017 and $25,000 to Gerald Green in 2015.
Meanwhile, Ja Morant was suspended 25 games in 2023 for waving an actual gun during a social media video.
Some on the Pelicans' bench appeared to ask officials to assess Daniels a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.
“I didn’t get one. So, the ref was right," said Daniels, an Australian whom the Pelicans made the eighth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. “I was just out there having fun. I was hoping to hit a 3 in that corner so I could let the bench know about it. It was a game I had circled on my calendar.”
Daniels and Hawks forward Larry Nance Jr. were traded last offseason from New Orleans to Atlanta as part of a deal that brought point guard Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. Murray did not play on Sunday night, having been sidelined four to six weeks by a broken hand during New Orleans' first game of the regular season.
Nance laughed when asked if he thought the Pelicans who called for Daniels to be assessed a technical foul were just kidding around, too.
“You know what? No comment," Nance said. "I’m going to steer clear of that one.”
Nance, like Daniels, had some back and forth with the Pelicans bench, staring them down after a third-quarter dunk and then blowing them a kiss after a corner 3, also in front of New Orleans' bench.
Nance said that as he went into his shooting motion from behind the 3-point arc, Pelicans players were yelling, “Hell, no!”
“One, we’re all competitors. And, two, we’re friends," Nance said. "You’re able to say some things to each other just because we know it’s all love.
“Everybody in that locker room I have nothing but love and admiration for," Nance added. "Tonight was a lot of fun. I’m glad we won.”
Daniels finished with 16 points in what was also his return from a two-game absence because of a right hip strain that he said was no longer bothering him.
“Even if I wasn’t 100%, I was going to make sure I’d be back for this game,” Daniels said, noting that it was a tough moment for him when he first learned New Orleans was trading him.
“It was unexpected. I came into the league here and this was home for me," Daniels said. "They drafted me. They believed in me. Everyone was great to me. But this is a business; these things happen. So, you’ve got to move on from it. I’m happy to be in Atlanta. I’m enjoying my opportunity there.”
Nance scored 14 points during Sunday's game, which got chippy at times and included a flagrant foul against Hawks guard Garrison Matthews for what looked like a hard forearm to mid-section of Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado.
“I don’t know what type of play was that," said Alvarado, who was restrained by teammates as he advanced toward Matthews, yelling.
"I just wanted to ask him what was going on with that,” Alvarado said. “It wasn’t really like being aggressive. It felt like it was a cheap shot. I don’t know why he did it.”
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