The Hawks ventured into Crypto.com Arena late Friday night looking to build upon a close win over the Sacramento Kings two days earlier. Instead, they barely competed in a wire-to-wire victory for the home Los Angeles Lakers, 130-114.
It was soon clear after tipoff that the Hawks were a step too slow and lacked the execution needed to match their opponent. The Lakers began the game aggressively, capitalizing on turnovers and running in transition. In the first quarter alone, Los Angeles had 10 fastbreak points and five points off of turnovers. Even more alarming was the ease in which the Lakers were able to blow by defenders and find easy shots in the lane, leading to 22 first quarter points in the paint.