LeBron James showcased his scoring prowess again, dropping 30 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a viciously npm 119-102 victory against the Atlanta Hawks in Crypto.com Arena on Friday night. The performance proved to be yet another milestone in James’ list of accomplishments as he surpassed Michael Jordan for most 30-point games in NBA history at a crazy 563.
Anthony Davis, who missed Thursday’s game to manage an injury on his left ankle, returned to provide the Lakers with a double-double that included 18 points and 19 rebounds. Coming off the bench, Austin Reaves was the spark with 20 points, while Rui Hachimura and rookie Dalton Knecht had 13 points apiece as the Lakes continued their surge, going 7-2 since December 15.
Trae Young led the Hawks with a monstrous 33 points, with Jalen Johnson contributing 19 upon returning after a sore-shoulder absence from Wednesday’s game against Denver. Onyeka Okongwu had 14 points and 11 rebounds and there were 13 scored from Dyson Daniels; the Atlanta offense just could not handle the Lakers’ defensive pressure.
The Lakers pulled away late into the fourth, sealing the victory with back-to-back 3-pointers from Reaves and Hachimura that pushed the score to 115-98. The game ended in a split-series tie between the two sides, one apiece-the first time in four of the last five seasons a shared series matchup has been seen.
The loss was the second in a row for Atlanta since a four-game winning streak had budded. The team now sits at 1-2 on a six-game ride through the cities, hitting the Los Angeles Clippers next, before Seattle and Phoenix.
The Lakers really got into the rhythm and looked to continue with it toward the playoffs. Meanwhile, for the Hawks, they will want to combine their efforts.
