Lakers’ starters fail to set early tone in blowout loss to shorthanded Hawks
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The Los Angeles Lakers saw their four-game winning streak halted Saturday night, falling 121-94 to an undermanned Atlanta Hawks team at State Farm Arena.
Atlanta entered the game without several regulars, including All-Star guard Trae Young, who is sidelined by a knee injury. Despite the depleted roster — and the fact the Hawks had played the previous evening — the Lakers were never able to seize control. Los Angeles trailed 34-18 after the first quarter and never recovered.
LaRavia points to slow start
Forward Jake LaRavia, who finished with 11 points on 4-of-12 shooting, said the opening group failed to establish the necessary intensity.
“It’s always up to that first group to come out and set the tone, and I don’t think we did that today,” LaRavia told Spectrum SportsNet postgame. “We came out, got punched in the mouth and didn’t have an answer. They outplayed us.”
The 23-year-old added that turnovers and defensive lapses fueled Atlanta’s early surge. Los Angeles committed 17 turnovers that led to 25 Hawks points.
No sense of complacency, says forward
LaRavia rejected the idea the Lakers underestimated their opponent.
“We knew they had guys out, but we never walk into a game underestimating anyone,” he said. “We understood their game plan; we just didn’t execute ours.”
Through the club’s first 10 contests, Saturday’s loss stands out as the largest margin of defeat. LaRavia called it an “outlier” and emphasized the need to move on quickly with an 82-game schedule.
Quick turnaround
The Lakers visit the Charlotte Hornets on Monday, looking to rebound from their worst performance of the young season.
Redick praises Ayton despite rough night
Center Deandre Ayton managed eight points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, but ESPN analyst JJ Redick said on the network’s broadcast that Ayton has shown he is “a winning player” for Los Angeles based on his overall two-way play this season.
Saturday’s defeat drops the Lakers to 6-4, while the Hawks improve to 5-5.
Source: LakersNation.com
