The Los Angeles Lakers are having one of their toughest weeks in franchise history.
After a 109-80 loss to the Timberwolves on Monday, the Lakers were beaten badly by the Miami Heat 134-93 on Wednesday, marking their worst combined defeat in two games.
The Lakers now head into the last game of their four-game road trip on Friday in Atlanta to face the hot Hawks.
In Wednesday’s game, the Heat shot 57.8 percent from the field and 51.1 percent (24-for-47) from 3-point range. LeBron James, who is close to turning 40, led the Lakers with 29 points. Los Angeles made just 5 of its 22 (22.7 percent) 3-point shots, and Anthony Davis missed 11 of his 14 attempts.
“There has to be some ownership,” said first-year Lakers head coach JJ Redick. “When a group is not performing well, it’s easy to splinter and not want the ownership, particularly when it’s embarrassing. I’m embarrassed, we’re all embarrassed.
That wasn’t a game that I thought we had the right fight, the right professionalism. Not sure what was lost in translation. … I’m not blaming players. I own this. But there needs to be ownership on the court, as well.”
Redick had the Lakers playing well at the start of the season, but they have since lost six of their last eight games. Davis, who scored a season-low eight points on Wednesday, leads the team with 26.9 points and 11.3 rebounds per game, while James is averaging 22.3 points, 9.0 assists, and 7.9 rebounds.
On the other hand, the Hawks have won five games in a row, with their most recent victory coming against the Milwaukee Bucks, snapping the Bucks’ seven-game winning streak on Wednesday.
After falling behind 16-6 against Milwaukee, Atlanta’s well-rounded scoring effort helped them win their longest streak since January 2023. Jalen Johnson scored 23 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, and handed out five assists, while De’Andre Hunter added 20 points off the bench. Hunter has scored over 20 points in four of his last five games.
Hawks coach Quin Snyder believes defense has been the key to their winning streak. They showed this by holding Milwaukee to just 17 points in the fourth quarter.
“I think as much as anything, when we’re defending, that’s the ticket,” Snyder said. “Whether it’s the first quarter, the third quarter, we just have to really commit to guarding. That allows us to get out in transition. … Whether you’re making or missing shots, find a way to impact the game in other ways.”
Atlanta’s star point guard, Trae Young, has struggled with his shooting, hitting career lows in field goal percentage (38.4 percent) and 3-point percentage (30.6 percent) after going 0-for-9 from beyond the arc on Wednesday. However, his playmaking has been strong, leading the NBA with 12 assists per game.
Young leads Atlanta with 20.7 points per game, followed by Johnson (20.1) and Hunter (18.7).
The Hawks, who won East Group C in the NBA Cup last week, will face the New York Knicks in the Cup quarterfinals next Wednesday. Before that, they will play the Denver Nuggets at home on Sunday.
After their game in Atlanta, the Lakers will return home to face the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.
