Lakers lag behind Hawks

ATLANTA -- At the end, it came down to Sasha Vujacic settling for two points instead of shooting for three.

But Lakers Coach Phil Jackson saw trouble coming a lot sooner than that Wednesday at Philips Arena, where his team lost to the Atlanta Hawks, 98-95.

“I told the guys in the middle of the third quarter that we’re setting ourselves up for a heartache,” Jackson said. “And they did.”

There is no shortage of reasons why the Lakers blew an eight-point lead going into the fourth quarter to fall to 3-2 on a nine-game trip that continues Friday night in Orlando, Fla.:

Fatigue. While loath to fall back on an excuse, guard Derek Fisher conceded that the team’s arrival into town in the wee hours Wednesday might have been a factor. After playing in New Jersey on Tuesday night, the Lakers didn’t arrive at their Atlanta hotel until 3 a.m. That might have caught up with them in the fourth quarter.

“We definitely didn’t have the same juice we had [Tuesday night],” said newly acquired center Pau Gasol.

Pain: Kobe Bryant admitted that his dislocated right pinkie, an injury suffered Tuesday night, is affecting him.

That was obvious Wednesday night. After making only three of 13 shots against the Nets, Bryant was four for 16 against the Hawks, missed two of five free throws and lost control of the ball with eight seconds to play, allowing it to bounce across midcourt, costing the Lakers possession at a crucial moment.

“It just bounced out of my hand,” Bryant said afterward, his right hand heavily bandaged.

“[The pinkie] is very swollen. There’s a different feel to the ball. It is what it is.”

Ineffectiveness. The Lakers were dominated up front by the Hawks, who outrebounded them, 46-37 and outscored the Lakers in the paint, 50-32.

It was a game in which the Lakers led for much of the game but never by more than nine points.

The Lakers also made 11 three-point baskets in 24 attempts, Fisher making four of six to finish with 17 points.

Vladimir Radmanovic made three of seven three-pointers and totaled 13 points. But his fatigue may have kicked in earliest of all. He didn’t score after making five of six shots in the first quarter, going 0 for 4 from the floor.

Gasol also struggled in his second game in purple and gold. After getting 24 points and 12 rebounds in his Lakers debut Tuesday night following his arrival in a trade with the Memphis Grizzlies, Gasol had 12 points and seven rebounds in 37 minutes Wednesday, making only five of 14 shots.

He came to the team with a sore back and admits its not fully healed.

“It’s a little sore,” he said. “I’m working on it. It’s something I have to deal with.”

When it came to the boards, the player the Lakers had the most trouble dealing with was Al Horford. He had a career-high 20 rebounds, including seven on the offensive end. Joe Johnson had 28 points.

Still, despite all their struggles, the Lakers had a chance to tie the score, trailing 96-93 with just under four seconds remaining. But instead of firing up a three-pointer or passing to a teammate, Vujacic drove in and scored on a layup.

“I tried to draw a foul,” Vujacic said. “I didn’t have an open three-point shot, but it doesn’t matter. I probably should have taken it anyway. I messed up. It’s on me.”

Fisher had one last chance to tie it, missing a long three-pointer at the buzzer.

In dissecting the game afterward, Jackson said his team was disjointed. Asked if he agreed with that assessment, Lamar Odom, who led the Lakers with 19 points, said, “I don’t even know what disjointed means.”

If he looks at a tape of the game, he’ll find out.

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steve.springer@latimes.com