Whenever the Los Angeles Lakers come to town, it’s hard to decipher the home and away team. A sea of gold and purple clothing filled the seats at State Farm Arena as the Lakers played its one and only game of the season in Atlanta.
However, the Atlanta Hawks kept those fans quiet for the majority of the game by maintaining a lead.
The Hawks, who defeated the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 28, were able to put together one of its best defensive efforts of the season, outscoring the Lakers 67-56 at halftime.
Another component that helped the Hawks defensively was the return of DeAndre Hunter who had not played since Dec. 20. Hunter logged 16 minutes and knocked down two timely three-pointers.
Trae Young led the Hawks in scoring and assists (26, 13) and his backcourt partner Dejounte Murray scored 24 points.
“I think we shared the ball well,” Hawks coach Quinn Snyder said. “We did a good job playing within the flow. I thought DJ (Dejounte) and Trea both really managed the game. Both individually and when they were in the game together.”
The Hawks walked away with arguably their most impressive victory of the season winning by a score of 138-122 as seven players reached double figures.
On the Lakers end, the team continues to struggle after claiming the NBA’s first In-Season Tournament champion. In the post-game, James, who had 20 points, said, “We could, on any given night, beat any team in the NBA. And then, on any given night, we could get our a– kicked by any team in the NBA.”
The Hawks will play another west coast powerhouse on Friday as they take on the Phoenix Suns.
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