The Los Angeles Lakers began a five-game road trip on Saturday by facing the Atlanta Hawks. They were short-handed, as Austin Reaves and LeBron James didn’t play, but the Hawks came into this game even more depleted, as Trae Young, Kristaps Porziņģis, Jalen Johnson and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, among others, were unable to participate.
With the Hawks playing their second game in as many nights, it looked like this game would go the Lakers’ way.
Instead, Atlanta spent most of the game pecking L.A.’s face off. Early on, Los Angeles seemed flat-footed, while Atlanta moved the ball around with purpose and shot 54.2% from the field and 44.4% from 3-point range while also posting 21 assists in the first half. The home team continually scored in the paint, allowing it to take a 68-54 lead at halftime. Its 68 points were a season-high for the first half, and L.A. hurt its own cause with 10 first-half turnovers.
Things only got worse for the Lakers in the second half, as more defensive miscues and turnovers resulted in a deficit of as many as 30 points. It was so bad that midway through the third period, coach JJ Redick waved the white flag and took out his starters for the remainder of the game.
The Purple and Gold ended up losing, 122-102, and they were outclassed in just about every department. They committed 20 turnovers, which turned into 36 Atlanta points, were outscored 22-8 in fast-break points and by 16 points in the paint, and they allowed the Hawks to rack up 37 assists. The Lakers’ five-game winning streak is over, and they dropped to a 7-3 record, which puts them in fourth place in the Western Conference.
Rui Hachimura: D
Hachimura has played so well offensively to start this season, but he just didn’t have it on Saturday. He made only three of his nine shot attempts and scored just eight points, to go along with two rebounds in 23 minutes.
Marcus Smart: C
Smart played 21 minutes and made two of his four shot attempts, giving him five points, plus two rebounds and two steals.
Jake LaRavia: B/B-plus
After a poor offensive outing on Wednesday against the San Antonio Spurs, LaRavia played a solid game on Saturday against Atlanta. He shot 4-of-7 from the field and went 4-of-5 from the free throw line to score 13 points, and he also contributed five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 23 minutes.
Deandre Ayton: C
Ayton has mostly played well to start the season, but the Lakers needed more from him versus the Hawks. In 20 minutes, he made all five of his shot attempts but only attempted one free throw and finished with a modest 11 points while committing three turnovers. He also chipped in five rebounds, but where the Lakers could’ve used more effort and production from him was on the defensive end, as he didn’t have a single blocked shot or steal.
Luka Doncic: C-plus/B-minus
For the third game in a row, Doncic struggled with his shooting. He went 7-of-17 overall, although he did knock down four of his 10 3-point attempts, giving him 22 points in 27 minutes. While he dropped 11 assists, he turned the basketball over five times.
The Slovenian native also had five rebounds and one steal.
Jarred Vanderbilt: A
Vanderbilt may have been the only Lakers player who played with a high level of energy in this game. He snatched 18 rebounds, which was very close to a new career high for him, and he also scored 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and hit a 3-pointer. In 28 minutes, he also came up with two assists, one steal and one block.
Nick Smith Jr.: D-minus
The Lakers could’ve used an infusion of energy and offensive production from Smith off the bench, but he made just one of his eight shot attempts and scored only three points in 23 minutes.
Dalton Knecht: B-plus
Knecht managed to get himself going offensively, and Redick’s decision to play him for 25 minutes certainly helped him get into a respectable rhythm. The second-year man shot 5-of-11 overall and 2-of-5 from 3-point range, giving him 14 points, and he also came up with four rebounds and one steal.
Jaxson Hayes: B
Hayes got 17 minutes of playing time, and he dropped four points, three rebounds and one blocked shot.
Bronny James: B/B-plus
The younger James showed a little more confidence in his shot-creation and shot-making ability, which allowed him to go 4-of-6 from the field and score nine points in 18 minutes. He also chipped in two rebounds, two assists and one steal.