LeBron leads Lakers past Hawks 134-118 for 4th straight win

LOS ANGELES – LeBron James scored 23 of his 32 points successful the 2nd half, Malik Monk added a season-high 29 and the Los Angeles Lakers held disconnected the Atlanta Hawks 134-118 Friday nighttime for their archetypal four-game winning streak of the season.

Avery Bradley and Talen Horton-Tucker scored 21 points apiece for the Lakers, who person won 5 of six wide portion remaining cleanable connected a five-game homestand that ends Sunday. With Anthony Davis the lone large contributor inactive absent from their injury-plagued roster, the Lakers had a season-high 37 assists and continued to play their astir cohesive hoops of their tumultuous season.

“We’re getting our guys back,” said James, who besides had 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocked shots. “It’s virtually that simple. We’re starting to spot what we person due to the fact that guys are successful the lineup. Soon we’re getting (Kendrick) Nunn arsenic well, and not excessively agelong aft that, AD returns. When you’re gathering a squad with extent and chemistry connected the floor, and erstwhile excessively galore guys are out, it’s excessively aboriginal to gauge it.”

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Trae Young had 25 points and 14 assists, and John Collins scored 21 points successful his instrumentality to the Hawks, who person mislaid 5 of 7 amid important coronavirus problems. Atlanta dropped to 2-3 connected a six-game trip, its longest of the season.

Los Angeles led by 19 aboriginal successful the 4th quarter, but Atlanta trimmed the borderline to 10 earlier the Lakers closed it retired with melodramatic dunks from James and Monk, who soared done the lane for a put-back slam with 1:56 to play.

Monk scored 21 points successful the archetypal fractional portion hitting 8 of his archetypal 9 shots successful his latest awesome show for the Lakers, who signed him arsenic a escaped cause successful the offseason. Monk averaged 20.7 points per crippled successful Los Angeles’ erstwhile six games starting connected Christmas, showing disconnected his quick-release jumper with aggregate 3-pointers successful each outing.

“What we emotion astir him is that helium tin create, and helium tin beryllium a finisher,” Lakers manager Frank Vogel said. “He's playing truly good successful each ways you tin offensively.”

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Coach Nate McMillan is inactive distant from the Hawks nether the NBA’s wellness and information protocols, but starters Collins and Bogdan Bogdanovic returned to azygous aft clearing the protocols earlier successful the week. Collins had missed the Hawks’ erstwhile 5 games, and Bogdanovic scored 15 points aft missing the past four.

Once again, Atlanta's main occupation was defense: The Hawks yielded astatine slightest 130 points for the eighth clip since November and successful its 4th consecutive loss.

“We’ve got to bash a amended job,” Atlanta interim manager Joe Prunty said. “Because successful a crippled similar tonight, you person a feline similar Malik Monk and Avery Bradley who weren’t needfully causing the problems, but they were getting the benefits. We request to beryllium amended defensively.”

Young added 9 rebounds to different outstanding show contempt a little backmost wounded that forced him to miss Atlanta's past crippled successful Sacramento aft helium dropped 56 successful Portland connected Monday.

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“I deliberation defence is an effort thing,” said Young, who broke Dominique Wilkins' franchise grounds by scoring astatine slightest 25 points successful his 17th consecutive game. “It’s not needfully a accomplishment excessively much. It’s much astir effort and your want, and a batch of it is crippled plan. Those 2 things to manus successful hand, and I deliberation we’ve got to bash amended connected some of them. We’ve got to privation it more.”

TIP-INS

Hawks: Cameron Oliver and Gorgui Dieng stay successful the NBA's wellness and information protocols on with McMillan. ... Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot played 23 scoreless minutes successful his archetypal crippled since his declaration became guaranteed for the remainder of the season.

Lakers: Austin Reaves' declaration besides became afloat guaranteed Friday successful an unsurprising decision. The rookie is simply a regular rotation subordinate disconnected LA's bench. ... James passed Alvin Robertson for 10th spot connected the NBA's vocation steals database successful the 2nd half. ... Russell Westbrook had 9 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds earlier fouling retired conscionable shy of his eighth triple-double of the season.

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BRADLEY SUPER

Bradley scored 16 points successful an outstanding archetypal fractional and deed 4 3-pointers successful his archetypal crippled since his declaration with the Lakers became guaranteed for the remainder of the season.

Los Angeles claimed Bradley successful October aft their roster had preseason wounded problems, and the seasoned defender amazingly became a starter and a dependable contributor successful his 2nd stint successful LA. Bradley was a contributor to the Lakers’ title squad earlier the coronavirus pause, but helium opted retired of the playoff bubble and didn’t get to triumph the title.

HUERT 'EM AGAIN

Kevin Huerter, who scored 25 points and closed retired the Hawks’ triumph successful Sacramento 2 days agone with 5 precocious points, deed 4 3-pointers and scored 12 of his 16 points successful the archetypal fractional against the Lakers.

UP NEXT

Hawks: At Clippers connected Sunday.

Lakers: Host Memphis connected Sunday.

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