Los Angeles Lakers Hand Another Blowout to the Atlanta Hawks, 122-101

For the second night in a row, the Atlanta Hawks suffered a huge loss at the Staples Center. This time it were the Lakers who smashed the team from Georgia, following the Clippers’ confident triumph on Saturday. The final result, 122-101 for the home team.

And again, the scenario was almost the same with the hosts opening the game furiously, getting a big advantage in the first three and a half minutes of the event. The purple and gold were up 17-2 when Danny Green hit a three a 3:37 into the game. But he hosts didn’t stop there, as  Vogel’s team continued to bash the rivals, getting away to 34-9 with 3:17 until the end of the first period.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ3d70j6o9Q

Whether was that because of Kobe Bryant’s presence, or something else, but the Lakers were pretty fired-up for this match. Black Mamba was sitting next to the sideline, and was given a fantastic welcome once the cameras caught him.

“I got chills when the crowd started going nuts,” Frank Vogel said at the press.

The guy who had bad blood with Kobe during his stay in LA, Dwight Howard, was also pleased to see his old teammate. It seems that all the issues between them are left behind.

“I didn’t even know who it was. He slapped me on the neck and I was about to elbow him. Then he said, ‘What’s up, man. You’re playing good.’ It was cool, man. I was glad he came to the game.”

A 14-0 run of the hosts during which Allen Crabbe scored 6 points, brought the Hawks back at a reasonable distance, but they couldn’t do anything more than that, with the first period ending 36-24 for the Lakers. We hadn’t seen anything special in the second sequence until the moment when hosts shifted into the higher gear, creating a 19-4 rush, which definitely solved this match, pulling the LAL at 69-41 before the break.

Hosts were 10 for 16 in the second period 63%, while the rivals shot 5 for 14 or 36%.

Mamba out. 🐍 pic.twitter.com/ON9WbgGqWG

— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) November 18, 2019

With 2:44 left in the third, Evan Turner scored and cut the Lakers’ lead to just 10 points, 86-76, and many believed that the Hawks might make this contest interesting, but then again, in no time, the home team brought back the lead they had before. Their win could have been even bigger if it weren’t for the hosts’ slowdown in the finish, once they scored just two points in a little bit less than four minutes.

LeBron James was outstanding, with the Kings pouring 31 points, along with 12 rebounds, 7 boards, shooting threes 6 for 10. He did all this in 33 minutes on the floor.

“0 turnovers. 12 assists. Are you kidding me? … He’s playing as good as I’ve seen him,” said Vogel about King’s performance.

Kyle Kuzma scored 17 off the bench, Rajon Rondo was also good in the same role, with 15 buckets, while Kentavious Caldwell-Popo had 13. Alex Caruso and Danny Green had 11 each. Green had one monster dunk after LeBron’s miss.

OMG DANNY GREEN 😳 pic.twitter.com/REXv6vg8Ea

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 18, 2019

Antony Davis had another slow night, with 14 points and 5 assists, hitting just 5 of his 14 field-goal attempts.

On the other side, as usual, Trae Young dropped 31 points and had 7 dimes. Cam Reddish had 13 but shooting from downtown 1 for 7, while Jabari Parker, DeAndre Hunter, and Allen Crabbe all had 11 points apiece.

Lloyd Pierce’s guys are getting back home after an exhausting five-game tour through the West, during which they defeated the Nuggets, and lost against the Suns, Trail Blazers, and both teams from LA. Atlanta (4-9) will be facing the Milwaukee Bucks at home this Wednesday.

The Lakers (11-2), meanwhile, have two consecutive contests against the Oklahoma City Thunder, at home on Tuesday, and on the road, this Friday, Following that they head for Memphis, San Antonio, and New Orleans.