Tuesday night marked the second game of a back-to-back for the Los Angeles Lakers, who had just been destroyed by the Houston Rockets. The Lakers took on the Atlanta Hawks.

There were numerous storylines in this one, particularly the one surrounding D’Angelo Russell and Dejounte Murray, given the recent trade rumors. The Lakers were also without their excellent center Anthony Davis due to a groin issue. The Hawks easily trounced the Lakers, 138-122, as a consequence.

Even without Davis, the Lakers launched an early 12–6 lead thanks to basket-attacking from LeBron James and Austin Reaves. Murray, though, took off from there, giving his team a 20–18 lead and forcing the Lakers to foul out.

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The Hawks’ lead continued after that as the Lakers mishandled the ball, allowing Atlanta to score in the transition. Reaves was the only member of the Lakers to have any offensive success throughout the half as the Hawks led 36-29.

James’s passes at the beginning of the second quarter created opportunities for players like Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt to score easy baskets, which helped the Lakers get back on track offensively. But the Lakers struggled mightily to convert outside shots, which let the Hawks progressively build up their advantage.

Despite Reaves and James’s spectacular alley-oop attempt to galvanize their team, the Lakers entered the halftime locker room down 67-56. The Lakers continued to struggle to force stops and convert outside shots.

Early in the third quarter, the Hawks increased their lead, embarking on a 6-0 run that forced a hurried Lakers timeout.

Given the Lakers’ 20-point deficit, an urgent adjustment was necessary. James naturally attempted to attack in an attempt to get his team back into the game. Eventually, Russell began to make threes as well, but the Hawks were making the Lakers pay for their defensive lapses.

However, the Lakers finally started to mount a comeback in the latter part of the third quarter thanks to deep baskets from Reaves and Rui Hachimura. However, it was all in vain as the Hawks answered immediately thereafter, taking a 103-88 advantage at the end of the third quarter.

Los Angeles scored five points in a row to begin the quarter, cutting the margin to 10 points. Hachimura’s goal scoring at all three levels was definitely helping his side win.

The Lakers were never able to overcome the hump, though, as the Hawks had an answer for every Lakers run throughout the entire evening. Trae Young and Murray led the way in the backcourt and ultimately coasted to victory.