The Atlanta Hawks were in action on Saturday night to face the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the second night of a back-to-back for the Hawks, as they lost the first game against the Toronto Raptors. This game was probably
going to be tougher to come by, as Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porzingis, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were ruled out. In place of them, Keaton Wallace, Mouhamed Gueye, and Onyeka Okongwu started.
Risacher got things going for the Hawks.
Gueye made an impact early, scoring 11 points in less than five minutes.
The Hawks were able to get out to a 13-point lead, and the second unit came in to maintain it. Asa Newell got some minutes in the game due to the injuries in the frontcourt and got on the boards to help the Hawks.
Luka Doncic controlled everything on offense for the Hawks, and he helped them cut their deficit down the stretch of the first. The Hawks quickly responded, with a floater from Wallace and a 3-pointer from Krejci to give them a 37-29 lead going into the second.
Newell continued his strong play in the second with his quick hands, and turned it into easy offense on the other end.
Okongwu and Daniels connected on their bread-and-butter backdoor cut.
Daniels got to the rim later on in the quarter, but it took some shifty handles and a nice finish.
The Lakers once again tried their best to cut their deficit, and they did, but the Hawks kept having answers after every run. They ended the first half strong, as Wallace got a 3-pointer to go. Going into halftime, the Hawks led 68-54.
The Hawks let go of the rope in the second half against the Raptors, but it looked like the opposite was unfolding in this game. Gueye continued his hot streak from the 3-point line.
Risacher joined in on the fun and knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the lead.
The third quarter belonged mostly to Gueye, as he was everywhere on the court for the Hawks. If they needed a stop, he got it. If they needed a bucket, he made it. If they needed someone to make the extra pass, he dished it.
The Hawks grew their lead to as much as 28 points, and they had fun doing it.
Going into the fourth quarter, the Hawks led 98-72. They didn’t let go of the gas despite the score, and the defense continued to get stops.
Newell kept making plays on offense as well.
With much of their starting lineup out, the Hawks were able to bounce back from last night’s loss, and get in the win column.
Gueye finished with 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists, Daniels finished with 10 points, eight rebounds, and 13 assists, Newell finished wih 17 points and four rebounds, and Risacher finished wih 19 points.
The Hawks will be back in action on Monday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
