Now in the midst of a five-game winning streak, the Lakers head to the road where they will take on the Atlanta Hawks first on Saturday. This will mark the beginning of a five-game trip away from home,
as the Lakers’ undefeated road record will be tested.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Atlanta Hawks
When: 5 p.m. PT, Nov 8
Where: State Farm Arena
Watch: NBA TV, Spectrum Sportsnet
The Lakers’ upcoming road trip will see them travel east, then west, then east again as they face the Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans, and then the Milwaukee Bucks.
Given how the Lakers are playing as of late, they should be able to go at worst 3-2 on the trip, but 4-1 or even 5-0 is not out of the realm of possibility.
Saturday’s match against the Hawks — who are coming off a loss and will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back — will feature no Trae Young, who is currently recovering from a sprained MCL in his right knee.
Still, they’re a fairly decent team without him, led by Jalen Johnson, Kristaps Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Dyson Daniels. They have capable bodies to throw at Luka Dončić, who will have to carry the Lakers once again without Austin Reaves and LeBron James.
For Los Angeles to win this one, they need to expose the Hawks’ mediocre offense and defense. Atlanta averages 116.6 points per game, which is 17th in the league. On top of that, they have the 16th-best defense, so it’ll be up to the purple and gold to overwhelm them on that side of the floor.
The matchup that will be interesting to follow is the one between Deandre Ayton and Porziņģis. In this young season, Ayton has now outplayed Rudy Gobert, Bam Adebayo, and even Victor Wembanyama in the most recent win against the Spurs.
He should be able to manage Porziņģis, whose numbers have actually been at his lowest since his rookie year. Whoever owns the paint and imposes their will will dictate their team’s success in this one.
Ultimately, for the Lakers, it’s just a matter of playing team basketball like they have for most of the young season. They need to stay composed in these games on the road and play with the force, discipline and dedication that they’ve shown they’re very much capable of doing. If they do that, it’ll be a successful road trip.
Let’s see if the Lakers can start things off on a strong note against the Hawks on Saturday.
Notes and Updates
- For the Lakers’ injury report, Maxi Kleber (abdominal muscle strain) has been upgraded to questionable after being sidelined for weeks.
- Meanwhile, LeBron James (right sciatica), Austin Reaves (right groin strain), Adou Thiero (left knee surgery recovery) and Gabe Vincent (left ankle sprain) are out.
- Since the Hawks will be on the second night of a back-to-back, their injury report will only be released hours before tip-off.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
