On the second night of a back-to-back and their third game in four days, the Los Angeles Lakers were already in a tough spot. But that was made even harder as the Lakers have to take on the Atlanta Hawks without superstar big man Anthony Davis.
Davis is set to miss his third game of the season after aggravating a groin injury during Monday’s loss to the Houston Rockets, a game in which he sat the entire fourth quarter. Now the Lakers will have to make due without the man who has arguably been their best player this season.
Obviously even more pressure is on LeBron James to set the tone as the leader of this Lakers team. The most important thing will be simply to come out with the proper energy from the moment the ball goes up. The Lakers have too often come out looking uninterested and it puts them in a hole that they have to spend the rest of the night climbing out of. With no Davis, that simply can’t be the case.
D’Angelo Russell’s outstanding recent stretch will help cover some of what the Lakers miss offensively with Davis out, but the team needs Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes to step up in a big way. Wood has the offensive skills to break through with a big night scoring wise, and Hayes’ energy and defensive potential are needed as well.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Austin Reaves are also be looking for bounce-back nights as well. The Lakers badly missed Vanderbilt’s energy in Houston after he was ejected early in the second quarter and he brings so much to the team. Meanwhile, Reaves was nearly invisible at times and the Lakers need him to reach the level they feel he’s capable of playing at.
Energy and defense will be of the utmost importance against the Hawks, particularly on the perimeter as Atlanta ranks in the top-10 of 3-pointers attempted and made per game. Obviously Trae Young is at the top of that list to keep an eye on, but the likes of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Lakers’ trade target Dejounte Murray can get hot as well.
Another one of the Lakers’ issues has been clearing the defensive glass and Atlanta is also one of the best teams in second chance points. Without Davis, that task is even harder to keep Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu off the glass.
It won’t be an easy night, but the most important thing is for the Lakers’ energy and effort to be at the right level from the start. If they can do so, the Lakers have a chance to steal a much-needed road win shorthanded, but anything less than maximum effort and it will be another long night.
Los Angeles Lakers (24-24) vs. Atlanta Hawks (19-27)
4:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 30, 2024
State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM ESPN LA
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: D’Angelo Russell
SG: Austin Reaves
SF: Taurean Prince
PF: LeBron James
C: Jaxson Hayes
Key Reserves: Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, Max Christie
Projected Hawks Starting Lineup:
PG: Trae Young
SG: Dejounte Murray
SF: Saddiq Bey
PF: Jalen Johnson
C: Clint Capela
Key Reserves: Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu, Garrison Matthews
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