Tough loss.
The Atlanta Hawks battled the Los Angeles Lakers in their second matchup of the season. Unfortunately, for the Hawks they were defeated, 119-102.
The Hawks returned Bogdan Bogdanovic and Jalen Johnson from injuries. However, they will be without Larry Nance for at least two weeks due to surgery on his hand.
The Lakers dominated the paint in the quarter, outscoring the Hawks 22-16 as well as out-rebounding the Hawks 17-13 as the Lakers led 31-28 after the first period. Anthony Davis nearly had a double-double with 10 points and seven rebounds to lead the Lakers.
It was evident the Hawks had heavy legs as they struggled to make shots, going 5-for-16 from the field with and 41% from the field. The Hawks went through a stretch where they missed eight straight shots.
Unfortunately, the Hawks didn’t get a lot of fouls in their favor in the first half as they went to the free throw line four times compared to the Lakers’ 16. Onyeka Okongwu returned home as he played high school basketball and college at USC. He had eight points and six rebounds in 11 minutes of action in the first half. He finished with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers increased their lead to eight as they lead 65-57 at halftime. The Hawks were 4-for-16 and 25% from the three-point line in the half. LeBron James and Davis combined for 31 points, 11 rebounds and six assists at halftime as well. The All-Star duo finished the game with a combined 48 points, 22 rebounds and 10 assists.
De’Andre Hunter struggled from the field as his streak of 15 straight games with 20 or more points ended. Hunter was just 1-of-12 from the field with a total of three points. The Hawks bench — which was normally good on most nights — finished with only 22 total points.
Trae Young did his best to keep the game close for the Hawks as he finished with 33 points and nine assists. It was his third consecutive 30-point game. Young had 14 points in the third quarter alone.
Johnson continued his strong bid for the All-Star game as he added 19 points and eight rebounds. The Hawks were outscored every quarter as the Lakers did a great job of dictating the game. It was the worst three-point shooting night of the season for the Hawks as they were 6-of-32 overall and 18.8% from the field — it was clearly the biggest difference in the game.