Aussies Abroad: Simmons steps up

Big contributions from Australians Dyson Daniels and Ben Simmons could not prevent their NBA teams continuing form skids.

Young gun Daniels backed his 15 points with six assists, six steals and a block but his Atlanta Hawks went down 128-112 at home to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

The Hawks were without their big star Trae Young (heel) but that absence was offset with the Grizzlies missing Ja Morant. 

Scotty Pippen Jr. scored 22 points starting for the Grizzlies in place of the injured Morant.

The Hawks (14-15) had a bright start to the season and reached the in-season NBA semi-finals but have now lost four of their last five matches.

Simmons also put up 15 points on Saturday to go with his 10 assists and six rebounds for the Brooklyn Nets in a 105-94 home loss to the lowly-placed Utah Jazz.  

It was Simmons' first double-double of the season for the Nets (11-17), who have lost seven of their last nine games.

Fellow Australian star Josh Giddey missed a second straight game for the Chicago Bulls due to a sprained ankle as they lost 123-98 to defending champions Boston Celtics (21-6) at home.

The result reversed the upset 117-108 win the Bulls (13-15) had claimed over the Celtics in Boston two days earlier.

Celtics ace Jayson Tatum scored a season-high 43 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and dished out 10 assists for his third career triple-double.

Darius Garland scored 26 points to lead six players in double figures as the Cleveland Cavaliers improved to a league-best 25-4 with a 126-99 win over the visiting Philadelphia 76ers.