For the Atlanta Hawks, a major test had presumably arrived in the form of an eight-game road trip to the west coast that began on Saturday. After winning seven consecutive games — against a mostly unimpressive set of opponents — since making a coaching change, they faced the reigning NBA champions to start a stretch that would potentially reveal how much better they may be under the guidance of interim head coach Nate McMillan.
Even as the Lakers prepared to play a fourteenth consecutive game without the services of Anthony Davis, they still had this guy named LeBron James on their team.