After getting embarrassed in back-to-back games, the Los Angeles Lakers came into tonight's game against the Atlanta Hawks with an extra sense of urgency to win. In the end, despite the best efforts from the star-studded duo, the Lakers failed to secure a win and left the court with lingering doubts about their standing in the West.
In the first 24 minutes, both teams were trading baskets as they felt each other out and neither of them was able to get any separation with a lead. The game was tied at 64 a piece by the end of the second quarter, powered by red-hot shooting from both sides. It was more of the same in the final two frames and up into overtime until the Hawks finally escaped with the 134-132 win.As usual, LeBron James was the star of the show. He finished the game with a triple-double, including 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists on 14-25 shooting. Anthony Davis also made a major impact in the game with 38 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists on 15-27 shooting. Rookie Dalton Knecht finished with 14 points (6-11 FG), 3 rebounds, and 2 assists in 28 minutes.
For the home team, Trae Young was the leading scorer with 31 points, 20 assists, and 2 steals on 8-25 shooting, including the three-pointer that won them the game. De'Andre Hunter was the overachiever with 26 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 9-15 shooting. Veteran sharpshooter Bogdan Bogdanovic contributed 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist on 7-13 shooting.
To say this game was a hard-fought battle might be an understatement. It was close from start to finish and it took overtime to decide the winner. Unfortunately for the Lakers, they didn't get the results they were hoping for in this game and it came down to several critical team failures.
Costly Mistakes Down The Stretch
What made this game such a heart-breaker for the Lakers is that the win was right there for the taking. In the fourth quarter and then later in overtime, the Lakers had an opportunity to pull away and escape with a win but they failed to execute when it mattered most and gave the Hawks a window to respond.
In overtime especially, miscommunication and poor execution from the Lakers cost them on several plays. During a late game jump ball involving Anthony Davis, the players failed to box out and were unable to secure the ball before it was thrown out of bounds. Then, in the game-winning possession of the game, the Lakers collapsed on their defensive assignments to allow an open Trae Young three-pointer on the wing.
In total, while the Lakers only had 13 turnovers in the game, they came at arguably the worst times and the frustration was mounting with every mistake. As losers of three straight games now and 7 in their last 10, the Lakers cannot afford to be sloppy in the clutch if they want to compete for a top 6 spot in the West.
Lazy Defensive Effort
JJ Redick ripped his team's effort after getting embarrassed in two straight games and he was expecting the Lakers to respond better tonight. Instead, the Lakers failed yet again to change their habits and allowed the Hawks to score 134 points.
As a team, Atlanta shot 50% from the field and 42.5% from three. They tallied 40 assists in the game, including 20 alone from Trae Young himself. In short, the Hawks' offense was operating with alarming efficiency tonight and it's an indictment of the Lakers' defensive effort over the past few games.
As a team that has historically had success with great defensive teams, the Lakers already know how important it is for them to clean up their act on that end of the floor. As the 27th-ranked defense this season, the Lakers are already one of the worst at containing their opponents and we saw tonight how much trouble they have staying in front of younger, more athletic teams.
No Help Off The Bench
All five Lakers starters hit double figures tonight, including Gabe Vincent (12 points on 5-11 shooting) who started in place of Austin Reaves. But the Lakers got almost nothing from their bench, Aside from D'Angelo Russell and Max Christie who combined for 17 points.
In total, the Lakers' bench was outscored 65-17 and only one of them shot at least 50% or more from the field. With no impact on offense or defense, the Lakers' bench was essentially dead weight in this game and their lack of production offset any attempt to pull away in the final two quarters.
After moving D'Angelo Russell to the bench, and Dalton Knecht into the starting lineup, JJ Redick hoped that many of their problems would be solved and that the Lakers would finally have a reliable rotation to use in crunch time.
The Lakers still have much work to do to become a truly competitive team -- but at 12-11 and 10th in the West, the margin for error isn't so wide that they can afford to lose focus this season. After this loss, it's time for the Lakers to rally together and fight through the adversity to become stronger as a unit. Only time will tell if they have the will and patience to pull it off.
