Lakers @ Hawks: Kobe's last game in ATL

[Jamaaliver]

The (3-15) Los Angeles Lakers have reached Atlanta, GA, the third stop of their eight game road trip, to battle the (12-9) Atlanta Hawks.

Lineups:
Lakers: D. Russell, J. Clarkson, K. Bryant, J. Randle, R. Hibbert


Hawks: J. Teague, K. Korver, T. Sefolosha, P. Milsap, A. Horford



Notes:
The Hawks (12-9) lost three straight in mid-November and have traded wins and losses in eight games since.

Tiago Splitter was upgraded to questionable on the Atlanta Hawks latest injury report, but will likely be a game-time decision for Friday's matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers.

As far as the on-court product is concerned, though, this is a big game for the Hawks. Atlanta imploded down the stretch in a brutal loss to Toronto on Wednesday...it would be a shock if the team wasn't motivated given the feeling in the locker room after the Raptors defeat.

The Hawks rank 14th in the NBA in scoring (averaging, 101.6 points per game), 28th in rebounding (averaging, 41.7 rebounds per game), 2nd in Assists (averaging, 25.3 assists per game) and 15th in defense (allowing, on average 100 points per game).

Last Matchup
Los Angeles is looking to avenge a 91-86 loss on March 15, 2015 at the Staples Center, which snapped an eight-game home win streak against Atlanta, that dated back to December of 2006. The Hawks rested their starting point guard, Jeff Teague, in that game, his backup Dennis Schroder started and posted a 24-point, 10 assist double-double night. During the Lakers last visit to Atlanta on November 18, 2014, Kobe scored 28 points and reached the 32,000 point mark for his career.

Fun Facts
The Atlanta Zoo, in conjunction with the Atlanta Hawks, announced on Thursday that they would name its own resident black mamba in honor of Kobe “Black Mamba” Bryant, who you probably know by now is retiring at the end of the year.

[ChuckChilly]

Kind of wanted to go but the tickets are sold out or ridiculously priced, as expected.

[Jamaaliver]

Additional Notes:

• Few teams take advantage of turnovers as much as Atlanta, who is converting them into 20.3 points, which ranks second in the NBA. The Hawks create the fifth-most giveaways and are also shooting a league-best 63.0 percent in transition.
• Atlanta spreads the ball around better than nearly every other team. It hands out the second-most assists (25.3), while ranking second in catch-and-shoot scoring (31.4).
• Lou Williams is returning to face the team that he played two seasons for from 2012-14. He also grew up in the area, going to South Gwinnett High, where he was twice named Georgia Mr. Basketball.
• Paul Millsap has done it all for Atlanta, as he leads the team in scoring (18.4), rebounds (9.6) and steals (1.9). The 30-year old is 10th in the NBA in steals and has scored double digits in all but one game this year.
• Kyle Korver has led the NBA in 3-point percentage in back-to-back seasons, but he ranks “just” 16th this year, hitting a 44.2 percent clip.
• Al Horford is shooting a career-low 48.9 percent from the field, but part of this is because he’s added another facet to his arsenal. After making just 21 3-pointers in his previous eight seasons combined, he now leads all centers by hitting 2.1 per game.

[DirtybirdGA]

I guess I gotta enjoy tonight while I can, it'll be a while before the next one. Make the best of this Hawks.

[ATL Boy]

Going to the game, expecting a lot of Kobe supporters and Laker fans. It'll be a 2011 throwback.


Sent from my iPhone using RealGM Forums

[DirtybirdGA]

Nice margin, but no reruns from Wednesday night,lol.

[MaceCase]

Nice margin, but no reruns from Wednesday night,lol.

Got close after that Louis corner 3 to bring them within 5 or so. I almost threw my remote through the window saying "not again..."

[Jamaaliver]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/GAFollowers/status/673198914510557184[/tweet]

[DirtybirdGA]

That's all right.