The Los Angeles Lakers didn’t fall prey to their slow starts in this one and it led to an easy home win with Kobe Bryant in attendance.
Los Angeles started the game on a 26-5 run and were never in danger as they defeated the Atlanta Hawks 122-101 for their fourth straight victory and 11th in 12 contests. LeBron James led the way with another double-double of 33 points and 12 assists while Rajon Rondo was great off the bench with 15 points.
Danny Green was the early catalyst for the Lakers with a pair of three-pointers and a beautiful lob to James to give the Lakers a 14-2 lead early. The Lakers were on fire, hitting 11 of their first 14 field goals including four from deep.
The young Hawks were not going to go down easy however as they ended the first on a 15-2 run of their own. They even cut the lead down to 10 in the second quarter, but James checked back in to end all hopes.
The Lakers immediately went on a 19-4 run upon James returning the game, capped off by back-to-back three-pointers from Rondo. A monstrous putback slam from Green gave the Lakers a 69-41 halftime lead.
Davis actually struggled in the first half with just seven points, but still had a huge impact with five assists and four blocks at the break. But Davis wasn’t the only one protecting the rim.
The Lakers had 14 blocks on the night as they were on a defensive mission, making things nearly impossible for Atlanta in the paint. Los Angeles also had one of their best deep shooting nights of the season, knocking down 15 shots from behind the arc.
James kept his foot on the pedal to start the second half, scoring the team’s first eight points, but the Hawks refused to let it be an easy night. The Hawks used a 25-7 run and once again cut the Lakers lead to 10, but they came back with a 10-0 run of their own and led by 19 going into the fourth.
Things never got dangerous in the fourth as the Lakers were able to cruise to another win, improving their record to a league best 11-2.