The Atlanta Hawks turned away LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers in a decisive fashion tonight.
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The Hawks defeated the Lakers 138 – 122 in front of a home crowd that was divided between fans pledged to the home team or there to catch a glimpse of LeBron. The Hawks themselves were happy enough to continue a two-game winning streak and further distance themselves from a recent 4 game rut capped off by a home loss to the Mavericks and the 73 points Luka Doncic dropped on them.
The Lakers led early in the game, but the Hawks would jump ahead in the middle of the first quarter and continued a lead until the final buzzer. The team’s biggest lead was 20 points. The losing Lakers outperformed the Hawks slightly in completed shots (53% 52%), But the Hawks would score more three-pointers (42%) than the Lakers (36%).
Trae Young was the team’s strongest performer, with 26 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 successful 3-point shots. Dejounte Murray got 24 points, 9 assists, and 4 rebounds. James scored 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists for the Lakers.
The Hawks (.426%) are now 20-27 and in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. They face the 27-20 Phoenix Suns this Friday.
