The Lakers bounced back in a big way on Tuesday, catching fire from three to cruise to a relatively comfortable win over the Hawks, 141-116.
LA put up 81 points in the first half, its highest total in any half this season. They also connected on 19 of their 34 attempts from 3-point range.
Deandre Ayton opened the game with a layup. On the other end, the Lakers gave up a four-point play to Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who started strong in the game with nine points.
Ayton and LeBron James combined for eight
points, while Luka Dončić had five points. Rui Hachimura was back from injury and saw some playing time early as well, getting his first basket on a reverse layup.
Los Angeles went on a 10-0 scoring run to put themselves up by five.
Nearly every Laker who played scored some points. Gabe Vincent drained a trio of triples in the quarter. At the end of the first, the Lakers were up by seven.
Five quick points from CJ McCollum opened the second period. Corey Kispert also knocked down multiple shots for Atlanta, keeping them close. Los Angeles then put up 10 straight points to go up by double figures with 5:41 left in the half.
LA was shooting 55% from the field and 56% from behind the arc, a welcome sight as they often struggle with their triples.
Luka was having another unreal half with 21 points, draining five of his six attempts from behind the arc. After only putting up two points in the last game, Jake LaRavia was in double figures with 13.
The Lakers completely dominated, putting up 81 points and holding Atlanta to 60. LA was up by 21 at halftime.
Los Angeles started the second half with a shot off the glass by Smart for two points. Jalen Johnson dunked on the other end for the Hawks. Ayton scored five in a row, keeping LA up big. Every Laker starter was now in double figures.
Los Angeles continued to dominate Atlanta, going up by as much as 32. Ayton and LaRavia both had 13 points. Luka was now at 25 points and LeBron had 19. The Lakers maintained strong defensive pressure while keeping their big lead.
Atlanta eventually started to surge, scoring 10 straight points as LA was on a three-minute scoring drought. Alexander-Walker then knocked down a 3-pointer of his own. LaRavia stopped some of the bleeding with a layup.
Going into the fourth, the Hawks had all the momentum, and Los Angeles was only up by 16.
LeBron started the final frame with a midrange jumper. Atlanta then responded with five straight points, continuing to chip away at the deficit. The once 32-point Laker lead was now an 11-point lead thanks to a lackluster effort by the purple and gold.
The Hawks stepped up their defense, leading LA to scramble to find their shots.
Los Angeles then suddenly woke up and scored eight straight points to give themselves some breathing room. The Lakers kept that momentum, scoring another 11 points, which put them up big again, sealing the win for LA.
At the 3:45 mark, both teams emptied their bench.
Key Player Stats
Dončić scored 23 of his 27 points in the first half. He also ended with five rebounds and 12 assists. LeBron notched 31 points with nine rebounds and 10 assists. LaRavia pitched in with 17 points, four rebounds and three assists.
Vincent had 10 points, shooting 3-5 from behind the arc. Smart ended with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists. Ayton put up 17 points with 18 rebounds. In his return, Hachimura scored seven points.
The Lakers’ next matchup will be against the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday at 7:30 PM PT.
You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.
