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The LA Lakers emerged victorious in a back-and-forth battle with the Atlanta Hawks, pulling to within half a game of the Western Conference-leading LA Clippers.
The LA Lakers were tested in unusual ways tonight, including being forced to adjust to a below-average night of shooting as a team. The Purple and Gold's defense held strong when the Hawks applied offensive pressure though, making some key stops in the final seconds.
Hits and flops from the LA Lakers' defensive victory
LeBron James made clutch buckets down the stretch and had help from the bench as well. Alex Caruso made his impact felt with some big steals in the fourth quarter to complement a nice night of shooting. This was truly a team effort from the LA Lakers who improved to 16-6 on the season.
Now, let's look at the five hits and flops from the LA Lakers' win in Atlanta:
Hit: LeBron James (LA Lakers)
LeBron James had a very slow start to this game, not surpassing double digits in scoring until early in the fourth quarter. The LA Lakers were in the lead for most of the tie but were having trouble putting the Atlanta Hawks away for good.
In the final minutes, LeBron turned on another level to his play and displayed tremendous leadership in the victory. Finishing with 21 points, 7 assists, and 9 rebounds, LeBron James proved once again why he is one of the best to ever play the game.
Flop: LA Lakers' 3-point shooting
While the LA Lakers got some clutch baskets down the stretch, their overall shooting from beyond the arc was subpar tonight. They finished the night 7-of-23 from downtown. That's roughly 30% which is 8% below the team average.
The Lakers overcame this struggle, however, finding ways to the rim through physicality and excellent passing. Overall, this can just be viewed as an off-night from the three-point range.
Hit: Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks)
Despite a slow start to this game, Trae Young made many impact plays to keep his team competitive against the LA Lakers tonight. The 22-year-old finished with a team-leading 25 points on 46% shooting and showed why he is considered as one of the best young point guards in the league.
Trae Young is putting together an All-Star caliber year, averaging 27 points and 8.6 assists per game on the season. Young is a very talented player and put some of his fantastic skills on display tonight.
Flop: Cam Reddish (Atlanta Hawks)
Cam Reddish was only able to tally 6 points with 3 assists in 29 minutes tonight, becoming virtually non-existent in the final minutes of the game. He did a fantastic job defending LeBron James for most of the matchup, but failed to hold his own down the stretch.
Reddish is one of the most highly-touted prospects in the NBA but was unable to get anything going tonight offensively against the LA Lakers. The 21-year-old out of Duke University was simply denied the chances to score tonight against a strong defense.
Hit: Alex Caruso (LA Lakers)
Alex Caruso put his skillset on full display tonight against the Atlanta Hawks, finishing with 8 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 clutch steals off the bench. Caruso had multiple hustle plays that will not reflect on the stat sheet but had a significant impact during the final minutes of the game.
Caruso is an exciting player to watch, standing at 6-foot-4 with a ridiculous vertical leap. The LA Lakers have been giving Caruso extended minutes recently and he has made every second count.
The LA Lakers will go on to play the Denver Nuggets after two days off, returning to Staples Center on February 4th. The Atlanta Hawks fell to 10-10 with the loss and will go on to play the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, February 3rd.
