The Los Angeles Lakers ended their six-game road trip on a dispiriting note as they fell short against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday afternoon, finishing 2-4 overall.
Anthony Davis returned to the lineup and played well, scoring a 27 points, but it was not enough as the Lakers suffered too many defensive breakdowns in the fourth quarter. Trae Young had been relatively quiet for most of the afternoon before turning it up in the final period, including a dagger 3-pointer that sealed Los Angeles’ fate.
Head coach Frank Vogel revealed the Lakers had a plan in place to guard Young, but ultimately failed to execute down the stretch.
“I thought our guys really competed and locked into the game planVogel proud Lakers did not come out with dud against Hawks
The Lakers have not done well in the earlier slates, so that coupled with the end of a road trip could have made for a poor showing. However, Los Angeles looked much more engaged for all four quarters and Vogel credited the team for making sure they fought until the end.
“Yeah, we’re under .500 so the margin for error is slim. We need every possession,” Vogel said. “I thought our guys were very engaged this afternoon, it’s the last day of a trip, a lot of times you see guys come out and have a dud of a performance, but that was not the case with these guys tonight. They brought it and built an 11-point lead against the hottest team in the league, one of the hottest teams in the league, No. 2 offensive in the league, and just a few plays short from getting a W.”
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