LeBron James barely misses triple-double as Lakers rout Hawks to end 3-game skid

LOS ANGELES — After a miserable shooting performance the previous night, Lakers coach JJ Redick said the solution to their his team’s woes was simple.

“Just have to keep shooting, I guess,” Redick said.

And so they did. LeBron James took 20 shots. Luka Doncic attempted 16 and Jake LaRavia and DeAndre Ayton combined for nearly 20 more. The difference, though, between the previous game and Tuesday night’s was that the Lakers made baskets. A lot of baskets.

The Lakers shot an impressive 57.8% from the field and beat the Atlanta Hawks, 141-116, at Crypto.com Arena on the second night of a back-to-back set. The lopsided victory snapped a three-game losing streak.

The Lakers (24-14) came into the game tied for last in the league with the Toronto Raptors in 3-point shooting at 34.2% and 22nd in free-throw shooting at 77.6% but showed little resemblance to that team against the Hawks (20-22).

With James and Doncic leading the way, they shot 55.9% (19 for 34) from 3-point range after going 8 for 36 from behind the arc on Monday in Sacramento.

While playing the second game of his first back-to-back appearances during his unprecedented 23rd NBA season, James fell just shy of his first triple-double since last Feb. 1 in New York – a night better remembered for the Lakers’ seismic trade for Doncic later that night.

James finished with a game-high 31 points on 12-of-20 shooting, nine rebounds and 10 assists.

Doncic, who had his left quadriceps wrapped during the third quarter of Monday’s loss, didn’t show any signs of discomfort a day later. Doncic had 27 points with five 3-pointers, five rebounds and 12 assists in 33 minutes.

Deandre Ayton posted 17 points and 18 rebounds, while Jake LaRavia also had 17 points and Marcus Smart added 16 points for the Lakers.

Forward Rui Hachimura was back in the lineup but he wasn’t on the court long enough to make a significant impact. He scored seven points on 3-of-7 shooting. The 6-foot-8 forward was on a minutes restriction – limited to 18 – Tuesday after missing seven games because of a calf injury. He is expected to play a bigger role when he returns to form.

“He’s our best catch-and-shoot guy, so I’m looking forward to it,” Redick said.

The Lakers came out shooting and led 81-60 by halftime, making nearly 62% of their shots in their highest-scoring half of the season.

With the score tied at 42-42, the Lakers went on a 21-2 run to take a commanding 51-44 lead on a 3-pointer by LaRavia with 7:19 left in the half and kept going as the Hawks struggled to find the basket. The Lakers built 63-44 lead before Atlanta ended their run with a pair of free throws by Jalen Johnson with 5:02 left.

Even the Lakers’ defense, which ranked 26th in the league coming into the game, showed signs of life. They limited the Hawks to 45% shooting from the field and 28.3% from 3-point range.

The Lakers’ lead grew to 32 points following a 12-1 run after halftime, but their defense lapsed briefly late in the third quarter and Atlanta gradually trimmed its deficit to 11 points (108-97) in the fourth before the Lakers pushed the margin back to a comfortable 20 with 6:15 left and pulled away for good.

“We still can do a much better job of closing out and giving up the right type of shots. But you know that it’s something like last year, when we had the No. 1 defense, teams actually shot better than expected,” Redick said. “And we’ve done a decent job this year protecting the paint or at least trying to.

“It’s just when teams do get to the paint, they’re also shooting astronomically high at the rim, too. So, we’re giving up both.”

After a stellar shooting night on Monday, Jaxson Hayes was ruled out against the Hawks because of a lingering hamstring injury. Redick said his leg tightened up in the fourth quarter against the Kings.

The Hawks had won three straight games and five of their last seven but without four of their best players, extending that streak proved difficult.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26 points and CJ McCollum had 25 for the Hawks, who had won on the first two stops of their West Coast road trip. Corey Kispert scored 19 points while thriving alongside McCollum in both players’ second game with Atlanta since being traded by Washington for Trae Young.

Neither Zaccharie Risacher (knee) nor Kristaps Porzingis (Achilles), two impact players for the Hawks, saw action. Luke Kennard (neck) and Asa Newell (quad) also were out for the Hawks.

More to come on this story.