The Lakeshow Review

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off a five-game road trip last night, starting in Atlanta where they took on the Hawks. In stark contrast to the last couple of games, the Lakers put forth a very pedestrian effort on both sides of the ball. They were also out-hustled and out-executed by a much more focused Hawks team, en route to a 122-102 defeat. This had the makings of a game were the Lakers were simply going through the motions, playing careless and lethargic basketball, to which the younger Hawks took full advantage. This could have been a winnable game for a team with LAs talent, but with the type of effort they laid out, it’s tough to beat any team in the NBA.

The Hawks came out highly energized in the first quarter, opening a 31-20 lead at one point. Their ball movement was crisp, as was their outside shooting. LAs lazy help defense didn’t help matters, as Atlanta easily collapsed the Lakers’ defense with drive-and-kick actions that routinely left them scrambling with no low man responsibilities and poor outside rotations. Dalton Knecht often found himself in the crossfires as his help defensive instincts continue to disappoint, often getting backdoored and losing sight of his man. Despite a good offensive game (14 points on 11 shots), he will struggle to be a consistent rotational contributor if he can’t be a two-way presence. Despite LAs defensive woes, they were able to stay within distance thanks to another hot start by Luka Dončić, whose 12 first quarter points (on 3-7 shooting) helped make it a 37-29 deficit after 12 minutes.

Unfortunately, the Hawks resumed their offensive barrage in the second quarter, as LAs lackluster transition defense, starting with their inability to stop the ball, allowed the Hawks an easy path to the paint on virtually every possession. They had been doing a relatively good job of this lately, with guys like Marcus Smart and Jarred Vanderbilt able to to pickup the ballhandler full-court. Last night, that effort simply wasn’t there. The Lakers’ help defense was also quite simply lazy, often getting caught ball-watching and leaving the corner open for a triple. The Hawks made 16 of their 39 shots from range, good for 41%, They also committed less turnovers; 11 to LAs 20. Overall, Atlanta produced a well-balanced attack, with all five starters clocking in at double figures in scoring, and getting another 46 points from their reserves. After two quarters, the Hawks led 68-54, and would go on to hold that lead.

The third quarter would go on to see the Lakers further collapse, as Atlanta’s lead eventually ballooned to 30. This prompted Lakers Coach JJ Redick to call a timeout midway through the third period to sit his starters for the remainder of the contest. The end of the third and all of the fourth was essentially extended garbage time, as Atlanta had all but put the Lakers and the game away. Luka Dončić ended up playing just 27 minutes, and scoring all of his 22 points in the first half. Disappointing, considering that the team has been playing quality basketball as of late, all the while beating good opponents. This game, the team clearly didn’t show up, and proceeded to get embarrassed.

This is the type of game that serves as a wake-up call for a team like the Lakers. They’re clearly a much better group than they showed, but if they play the way that they did last night, they’re prone to lose to anyone. You can’t take nights off in the NBA. Atlanta came into the game severely undermanned, as did the Lakers. Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Trae Young all sat for Atlanta. While for the Lakers, LeBron James continues to rehabilitate from sciatica, and Austin Reaves sat out his third straight contest due to groin soreness. The Lakers clearly overlooked the younger Hawks, and ended up paying for their complacency, as they were very obviously unprepared to match Atlanta’s urgency and effort. We’ve seen LA look much better both offensively and defensively, so it’s all a matter of regaining that tenacity and focus. The Lakers can’t continue to get picked apart this severely in the half-court, and their on-ball defense has to improve, as the Hawks got whatever they wanted with their ballhandlers. It all starts with stopping the ball, both in transition, and within the half-court. They’ll get a chance to bounce back against a young Charlotte Hornets team on Monday, and then on Wednesday they’ll face their first true gut-check game when they take on the defending champs Oklahoma City Thunder. It will be interesting to see if and how they rebound after this loss, as well as what type of adjustments they make defensively to mitigate breakdowns. It’ll say a lot about where this team is headed. Go Lakers.