The Los Angeles Lakers are at the point in the season where every game is crucial for standings purposes, especially when they are playing lesser quality teams.
That was the case when they host the Atlanta Hawks, who were without Trae Young, on Monday night. The Lakers got Anthony Davis back in the lineup after missing most of the Golden State Warriors game with an eye issue, and as a result, L.A. was able to cruise to a 136-105 victory.
The Hawks came out hot in this one as Jalen Johnson had a big poster dunk on Austin Reaves and then Bogdan Bogdanovic hit back-to-back triples to give them an 11-2 lead. The Lakers responded from there though as Davis started to get going inside and then LeBron James had a three-point play to take the lead.
James and Davis were both dominant from there as the Lakers continued to build their lead with Max Christie also getting in on the action with five quick points off the bench. After Reaves made a crafty layup to end the quarter, the Lakers had a 38-28 lead.
Johnson was tough for the Lakers to stop to begin the second as his athleticism allowed him to get to the rim with ease while Davis was on the bench.
James and Reaves got the Lakers back on track though as the latter found the former for a monstrous dunk, forcing a Hawks timeout with L.A. up 54-43.
D’Angelo Russell also got going from there with a triple and a three-point play. The Hawks weren’t playing much defense as the Lakers were able to score with ease, taking a 73-59 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Lakers came out with the same intensity to begin the third as Davis continued to punish the Hawks inside and Rui Hachimura got going offensively. It was all Lakers from there as Davis even got in on the action from deep. Russell then made two triples, including beating the buzzer to give L.A. a 111-86 lead at the end of the third.
It was more of the same in the fourth quarter as Russell connected from deep again, which gave him 183 3-pointers on the season, tying Nick Van Exel’s franchise record. He was pulled from the game after that though with the Lakers up 30, so he will gain sole possession with his next triple potentially on Friday.
The Lakers would go on to cruise to an easy victory, closing it out without any issues.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers get a few days off now before they return to the court on Friday night, hosting the Philadelphia 76ers.
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