NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels is rejecting the idea that he pretended to shoot former teammates after hitting a 3-pointer in front of the New Orleans bench during a 126-111 win over the Pelicans on Sunday night.

“I was telling everybody it was worth 3 points,” Daniels said, noting that when he extended his right arm toward the Pelicans’ bench area, the thumb and two other fingers were extended, representing 3 points.

When told his gesture also seemed to resemble a weaponDaniels said: “It might look like that, but I was just telling them it was worth 3 points. You know, showing them all, that was it. I was making sure everyone knew how many points they were worth.”

The NBA has handed out significant fines for gun gestures over 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 a real gun during a video on social media.

Some on the Pelicans bench appeared to be calling for the officials to call Daniels a technical foul for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“I didn’t get one. So the ref was right,” said Daniels, an Australian who 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 tell the bank 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 guard Dejounte Murray to the Pelicans. Murray did not play Sunday night after being sidelined for four to six weeks with a broken hand suffered during New Orleans’ first regular season game.

Nance laughed when asked if he thought the Pelicans who called for Daniels to be assessed a technical foul were just kidding, too.

“You know what? No comment,” Nance said. “I’m going to steer clear of that.”

Nance, like Daniels, had some back-and-forth with the Pelicans bench, staring them down after a dunk in the third quarter and then blowing them a kiss after a corner 3, also in front of the New Orleans bench.

Nance said that as he started the shooting motion from behind the 3-point arc, Pelicans players were yelling, “Hell no!”

“First, we are all competitors. And, two, we’re friends,” Nance said. “You can say some things to each other just because we know it’s all love.

“Everyone in the locker room I have nothing but love and admiration for,” Nance added. “Tonight was a lot of fun. I’m glad I won.”

Daniels finished with 16 points in what was also his return from a two-game absence with a strained right hip that he said is no longer bothering him.

“Even if I wasn’t 100 percent, I was going to make sure I came back for this game,” Daniels said, noting it was a difficult time for him when he first found out New Orleans was trading him.

“It was unexpected. I came into the league here and this was home for me,” Daniels said. “They recruited me. They believed in me. Everyone has been great to me. But this is a business; these things happen. So you have to move on from that. I’m happy to be in Atlanta. I’m enjoying my opportunity there.”

Nance scored 14 points during Sunday’s game, which fumbled at times and included a flagrant foul on Hawks guard Garrison Matthews for what appeared to be a hard forearm up the middle on Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado.

“I don’t know what kind of play that was,” said Alvarado, who was held back by teammates as he advanced toward Matthews, screaming.

“I just wanted to ask him what’s going on with it,” Alvarado said. “It wasn’t really like being aggressive. It seemed like a cheap shot to me. I don’t know why he did it.”

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