Hawks’ Turnovers and Defensive Woes Fuel Loss to Lakers

Atlanta opened with an eight-point first-quarter advantage, but Los Angeles moved ahead before the quarter ended and built a lead of as many as 20 points. The Hawks had trouble adjusting when the Lakers’ switching defense shut down access to the paint and limited their chances to run in transition.

Atlanta focused much of its defense on Luka Doncic, trapping him and using lengthy defenders to challenge him. The pressure contributed to five first-half turnovers for Doncic, but he finished with 32 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks.

The Hawks’ own mistakes proved costly. They gave the ball away 20 times, and Los Angeles scored 29 points off those turnovers. The Lakers also had 10 second-chance points, while Atlanta conceded open three-point chances and struggled to contain the Lakers’ scoring.

CJ McCollum provided a bright spot for Atlanta, scoring 21 points off the bench. That total took him past 17,000 career points in nearly 900 games.