Lakers vs. Hawks: L.A. defeats Atlanta

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All is well in Lakerland again.

The Lakers, after losing Friday night, rebounded with a 118-110 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant had 41 points and eight assists.

Bryant has posted 40-plus points 97 times in his career.

The Lakers built a 24-point lead in the fourth quarter, but saw it sliced to 10 before they corrected things and pulled out the win.

Lakers 98, Hawks 77 (end of third quarter)

The Lakers looked serious in the third quarter, playing with a purpose and a drive.

They played defense all over the court, helping each other, denying on the wings, and then getting out and running when they took possession.

The Lakers produced an 18-0 run during all this, opening a 22-point lead that became a 98-76 cushion at the end of the third quarter over the stunned Atlanta Hawks.

The Lakers were up, 74-70, in the third when they turned it on, taking a 92-70 lead from which the Hawks never recovered.

Lakers 64, Hawks 58 (halftime)

There was a brief moment late in the second quarter when the Lakers put the clamps on the Atlanta Hawks.

It resulted in the Lakers running off seven consecutive points, helping them open a 64-58 lead over the Hawks at halftime tonight at Staples Center.

Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 19 first-half points and Andrew Bynum had 10.

But it was that quick defensive strike that allowed the Lakers to extend a their lead to eight points during one stretch in the second quarter.

Lakers 27, Hawks 25 (end of first quarter)

The Lakers’ defense, already looking bad this season, took another hit in the first quarter tonight.

This time, it was an individual who did in the Lakers.

Joe Johnson served the Lakers up, scoring 18 first-quarter points in helping the Atlanta Hawks stay within 27-25 of L.A. at the end of the quarter.

Johnson missed just one of his eight shots from the field, and just one of his four three-pointers.

Johnson did most of his work against Kobe Bryant, who had 13 points in the first quarter.

Pregame
The Lakers had way too many holes in their defense against the Dallas Mavericks Friday night, allowing them to pick-and-roll the Lakers apart for easy, open looks.

Now the Lakers face an Atlanta Hawks team tonight that enters the game at Staples Center averaging 110 points a game, third best in the NBA.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson knows that the high-flying Hawks have the ability to test his team’s defense.

‘’We have to keep some bodies on bodies tonight,’ Jackson said. ‘That was one of the things I thought we didn’t do a good job of the other night.’

-- Broderick Turner