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The Atlanta Hawks earned their eighth straight win, a 99-94 road win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
Atlanta snapped Los Angeles’ four-game winning streak and kept the longest current winning streak in the NBA alive in the process.
However, the story of the day was injury to Lakers superstar LeBron James.
With 10:50 left in the second quarter, Atlanta Hawks forward Solomon Hill rolled toward James’ right ankle while chasing a loose ball. James let out a cry of frustration as he winced as he rolled on the floor.
James was cared for by the team’s training staff. However, he got up on his own and stayed in the game, running out a three. On the ensuing possession, James called for a time-out and left the court into the locker room for further evaluation, knocking over a chair along the way.
Also co-captain Anthony Davis returned to the locker room to see how he was doing.
Now in his 16th season, 36-year-old James has only missed one game this season due to a minor and prolonged sprain of his left ankle.
The Lakers announced that James suffered a right ankle injury and did not return to the game.
With the triple made just before leaving the game, James continued his streak of 1,036 straight games in double digits, but that milestone was the least of the Lakers’ post-game concerns.
Los Angeles (LA) already has two starters on the bench with Davis out due to a right calf strain and Marc Gasol regaining his playing form after missing six games due to NBA health and safety protocols. So playing without James for a large portion of games could be a daunting task for the understaffed Lakers.
Meanwhile, Atlanta top scorer Trae Young struggled to find easy baskets but did a great job managing his team, finishing with 14 points and 11 assists. John Collins led the Hawks with 27 points and 16 rebounds. Danilo Gallinari chipped in 18, including 4 of 6 shots from the 3-point range. Clint Capela added eight points and 16 rebounds.
Montrez Harrell led the Lakers with 23 points and 11 rebounds.
The Lakers held a one-point lead at halftime, but the Hawks used a 12-0 run to start the second half to take control of the game, leading to 14 in the second half.
Saturday’s game marked the return of point guard Rajon Rondo to Los Angeles to play against his former team since the Lakers won the NBA championship in the Orlando bubble last year.
Rondo finished with two points and five assists in 14 minutes.
The victory over the Lakers was the beginning of an eight-game road trip to the West for the Hawks.
The Hawks have been on the rise since the firing of head coach Lloyd Pierce on March 1, replacing him with assistant head coach Nate McMillan. – Reuters
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