The Los Angeles Lakers started to slip again in recent days by losing three straight games. On Monday, they fell 124-112 to the Sacramento Kings, mostly due to some very poor defense that allowed Sacramento to light things up from 3-point range like the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza.
They returned home to face the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, and just when it seemed as if they were in danger of falling to a feisty, underrated Hawks squad, they put forth one of their more impressive performances of the season.
An 18-3 run allowed the Lakers to take a 37-30 lead at the end of the first quarter after falling behind 24-19. They then went on a 19-2 run in the second quarter to firmly take control of the game. They scored 81 points in the first half, a new season high for them, and led by 21 points at halftime. Los Angeles went up by as many as 32 points in the third period, and while it let the Hawks get to within 11 points early in the fourth quarter, it turned things on again and cruised to a 141-116 victory.
This was something of a showcase of how good L.A. can be offensively when clicking on all cylinders. It shot 57.8% overall from the field, and after going 8-of-36 from 3-point range on Monday, it shot 55.9% from that distance versus Atlanta. The Lakers also racked up 36 assists against 14 turnovers, and their defense wasn’t too shabby either, as Atlanta shot just 45% from the field and 28.3% from beyond the arc.
With a 24-14 record, they remain in fifth place in the Western Conference.
Marcus Smart: A-minus
Smart’s offense seems to come and go in wild fluctuations, but his offense was very potent on this night. He made four of his five shot attempts, two of his 3-point tries and all six of his free throw attempts, giving him 16 points in 29 minutes. He was aggressive off the dribble more than he usually was, and he also contributed five rebounds, four assists and one block.
Jake LaRavia: A
LaRavia was also potent offensively versus Atlanta by going 6-of-10 overall and 3-of-4 from downtown to score 17 points. In 36 minutes, he also had four rebounds, three assists and one steal.
Deandre Ayton: A
Some may be disappointed that Ayton hasn’t improved or expanded his offensive game since coming into the league, but on this Lakers team, his offensive game and capability are good enough. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of him running the floor and moving without the ball and his teammates looking to set him up often enough.
On Tuesday, he went 7-of-9 from the field and scored 17 points, but the most impressive aspect of his game was his work on the boards. He snatched 18 rebounds, which was twice as many as the second-leading rebounder for either team in this game.
LeBron James: A
James was somewhat quiet in the first two or three quarters. But he turned it on in the fourth quarter in order to prevent Atlanta from making any real type of real rally. He scored a dozen of his 31 points in that period, and overall, he shot 12-of-20 from the field. He was one rebound shy of a triple-double, and overall, he finished with nine rebounds, 10 assists, one steal and one block in 33 minutes.
Luka Doncic: B/B-plus
Doncic got hot in the first quarter, and he scored 23 points in the first half to help put the Lakers into orbit. He faded considerably afterward, but he still finished with 27 points on 7-of-16 overall shooting and 5-of-9 from downtown.
He also dished off 12 assists, got five rebounds and blocked one shot, but he did commit seven turnovers in 33 minutes.
Rui Hachimura: C-plus
Hachimura finally got back on the court after not playing in each of the last seven games due to a calf injury. He looked a bit rusty, and he made three of his seven shot attempts and finished with seven points and two rebounds in 18 minutes.
Gabe Vincent: A
Vincent went 3-of-6 overall and made three of his five 3-point tries, giving him 10 points in 14 minutes. All three of his made treys came in the first quarter in a span of three minutes to key the Lakers’ 18-3 run in that period.
Jarred Vanderbilt: D
In 16 minutes, Vanderbilt got one rebound, made one of his two shot attempts to score three points and added one assist.
Dalton Knecht: D
Knecht went 1-of-3 from the floor and missed both of his attempts from beyond the arc. He finished with two points.
Drew Timme, Kobe Bufkin, Nick Smith Jr., Bronny James: Incomplete
Timme, Bufkin, Smith and the younger James were on the court for the final three minutes and change of this contest. Timme scored a basket and Bufkin, in his first action with the Lakers after being called up from the G League, hit his only attempt for a 3-pointer. Smith made both of his shot attempts, both of which were treys, and the younger James missed his only shot attempt.
Timme and Bufkin each had one rebound, while Bufkin had one assist and Smith notched two dimes.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Lakers player grades: L.A. soars high above the Hawks
