Lakers roll past slumping Hawks
Send a link to a friend
[November 28, 2016]
LOS ANGELES -- More than three
years later, jilted Los Angeles Lakers fans still give Dwight Howard
the business.
On every trip to Staples Center, Howard is brutally booed and called
almost every vulgar word in the book by Lakers supporters, who still
hold grudges over the former Los Angeles center leaving the team as
a free agent.
"I close my ears," Howard said.
The fans also found reason to cheer during Howard's visit Sunday, as
the Lakers used a balanced attack to close out the Atlanta Hawks
109-94 Sunday night.
Los Angeles (9-9) got 21 points from Lou Williams, 18 from Jordan
Clarkson and 17 from Nick Young. Larry Nance Jr. contributed 12
points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers, who ended a two-game slide.
Young, who missed Los Angeles' Friday loss to the Golden State
Warriors with a sore toe on his left foot, found a rhythm in the
second quarter that rallied the Lakers and allowed them to seize a
lead they wouldn't relinquish.
"Just finding a way to win, finding a way to play aggressive and go
out there and have fun," said Young, who connected on 6 of 12 shots
from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range.
Ex-Laker Kent Bazemore scored 21 points to lead the Hawks, who fell
for the fifth time in six contests. Four of those losses were by
double digits.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/28/images/ads/current/lincolntheatre_sda_031016.png)
"Everyone in this league and everyone around us knows that we have
the team, we have the personnel to get it done. It's just figuring
it out at this point," said Bazemore, who made 8 of 16 field-goal
attempts and 5 of 8 from behind the arc. "As a competitor, you hate
to lose, but it's part of the process. Great things take time and a
lot of sacrifice."
Howard finished with 19 points and nine rebounds in 33 minutes for
Atlanta (10-7). He scored 13 in the first quarter.
Hawks guard Dennis Schroder collected 11 points and eight assists,
while Kyle Korver and Mike Muscala each scored 10.
The Lakers swept the season series. They also beat the Hawks 123-116
in Atlanta on Nov. 2.
"We just got players that play well together," said Williams, who
scored 13 points in the fourth.
The Hawks built a 32-21 lead after one quarter before the Lakers
rallied in the second behind their second unit. Los Angeles used a
22-6 run to open the second to take a 43-38 after a layup by
Clarkson with 5:23 remaining in the quarter.
The Lakers went up by as much as 10 before a 3-pointer by Bazemore
ended the half and pulled the Hawks within 56-48 at the break.
The Lakers outscored the Hawks 35-16 in the second and outshot them
50 percent to 35 percent. Young scored 12 of his 15 first-half
points in the quarter, hitting all four of his field-goal attempts,
three of them from long distance.
[to top of second column] |
![](../images/112816pics/sports69.jpg)
Lakers guard Jordan
Clarkson (6) goes up for shot during the second quarter against the
Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center. The Los Angeles Lakers won 109-94.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Nov/28/images/ads/current/st_claras_lda_082114.png)
"The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the
second quarter, I think, changed the outcome of that game," Lakers
coach Luke Walton said. "It's what we have been preaching all year,
but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the
court talking defensively.
"They were all talking, and when that happened, we started moving as
a unit defensively and that allowed us to get out and go on a run,
and I think we kind of carried the momentum through from that point
on."
Los Angeles continued to dictate in the third quarter, leading by as
much as 11 after Williams sank a 3-pointer with 40.5 seconds left in
the period for an 84-73 edge. However, buckets by Millsap and
Muscala sliced the advantage to 84-77 heading into the final
quarter.
In the fourth, the Lakers pulled away.
Overall, 12 Atlanta turnovers led to 20 points for the Lakers, who
committed nine miscues for 13 points.
The Hawks had a slight edge in shooting, making 44.3 percent of
their shots to 44.2 percent for the Lakers.
NOTES: Lakers F Julius Randle (hip pointer) missed his third game,
and it is unknown whether he will be healthy enough to return when
Los Angeles opens a four-game trip at the New Orleans Pelicans on
Tuesday. Randle was unable to complete practice Saturday due to pain
in his hip, but he performed some shooting drills afterward. "He's
getting better, but he's just not there yet," Lakers coach Luke
Walton said. ... F Luol Deng is the only Laker to start every game
this season. He scored four points in 19 minutes Sunday. ... Atlanta
ranked second in the league in forcing 16.8 turnovers per game
(leading to an average of 18.3 points) entering the contest, but
they hounded the Lakers into just nine giveaways. The Hawks also
were third in steals per game at 9.6 per game, but they managed just
five on Sunday. ... The Hawks visit the Golden State Warriors on
Monday.
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2016/Aug/26/images/ads/current/humanesociety_sda022411.png) |