After a disappointing road loss to the Sacramento Kings, the Los Angeles Lakers returned home and hosted the Atlanta Hawks in the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday.
Lakers stars Luka Doncic and LeBron James were originally listed as questionable but were both able to suit up, marking the first time the latter has played in both legs of a back-to-back this season. With their stars in the lineup, the Lakers got back on track by beating the Hawks, 141-116, to end their losing streak.
James found Deandre Ayton to kick off the scoring and then had a driving layup of his own. Nickeil Alexander-Walker also got going early with pair of triples, including one that was a four-point play.
With the game close early, Rui Hachimura checked in after missing the last seven games with a calf strain and made a reverse layup and midrange jumper. Doncic and Gabe Vincent then got going from deep, starting a 13-0 run as the Lakers closed the first quarter strong to take a 37-30 lead. James had four straight assists and then a layup during that stretch.
LeBron began the second quarter with a pair of turnovers, however, leading to a 7-1 Hawks run. Marcus Smart took matters into his own hands from there though, driving on three straight transition opportunities for six straight points.
Doncic returned and got fouled on a triple and then hit two more from deep. After a Hawks timeout, Doncic kept pouring it on with yet another triple and all of a sudden, the Lakers were up 63-44.
One day after an abysmal 3-point shooting night, the Lakers couldn’t miss in the second quarter. Everyone was getting involved and they took an 81-60 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Lakers didn’t let up to begin the third quarter, quickly growing their lead to 30 after five straight points by James.
From there though, Doncic had some silly turnovers and a technical foul and the Hawks began chipping away. McCollum and Alexander-Walker stayed hot while all of sudden the Lakers had cooled off, taking a 102-86 lead into the fourth quarter.
It was more of the same to begin the fourth as the Lakers weren’t getting any stops. With their lead down to 11, James and Smart both hit big triples to halt the Atlanta run. Doncic then completely a three-point play to put the Lakers back up 20, allowing them to cruise to the victory.
What’s next for the Lakers…
The Lakers will get a much-needed day off on Wednesday before hosting the Charlotte Hornets at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.
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