Lakers pick up 20th victory as LeBron scores 30 in win over Hawks

LeBron James went nuclear again to push the Lakers to a win against the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.

Another strong showing from LeBron James paired with big nights from Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves led to the Lakers closing their homestand with back-to-back wins, downing the Hawks 117-100.

After a big night against the Blazers, LeBron James remained red hot, pouring in 30 points on 13-20 shooting. He passed Michael Jordan for the most 30+ point games in NBA history. Anthony Davis ended with 18 points, 19 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks.

Austin Reaves struggled shooting the ball again but chipped in 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Rui Hachimura had 13 points and eight rebounds and Dalton Knecht had 13 points off the bench.

A Lakers turnover started things off but was followed by a missed shot by the Hawks. AD followed his first shot, which he missed, with a putback dunk. The Lakers then ran an excellent fastbreak with LeBron passing to Austin for a layup.

Atlanta’s Dyson Daniels had a strong start, scoring a quick five points. The Hawks went up by five, but their lack of defense helped the Lakers heat up offensively and turn it into a back-and-forth affair.

Los Angeles went up by seven at the midway point after a 14-2 scoring run. Atlanta missed its shots thanks to LA kicking up their defense. The Hawks showed some fight, picking up their defense.

Cam Reddish, who has struggled from behind the arc, finally got one to fall. The Hawks made a good push at the end of the quarter cutting the Lakers' lead to just three.

The Lakers broke down defensively, allowing Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson to dunk to start the second. Dalton’s three helped Los Angeles take a five-point lead. As we’ve seen between these two teams before, the game was continuously close, with neither team able to establish a big lead.

Dalton made another three-pointer, which was a welcome sight considering his rough slump from behind the arc. Both teams struggled with threes, with the Hawks shooting 30% and the Lakers shooting 33.3%.

LA started playing sloppy, committing seven turnovers. Atlanta remained within striking distance, keeping the Lakers’ lead around five. Dalton drained another 3-pointer, remaining perfect on three attempts.

The Lakers' energy was high, Max then knocked down a 3-pointer as well, and at halftime, LA was up eight.

Los Angeles’ lead ballooned to double digits to start the second half. Austin drained a three to kick things off. An exceptional defensive play by AD led to a 3-pointer on the other end by LeBron.

Austin was having a slow offensive night with the Hawks covering him well. He drained a much-needed 3-pointer as the Hawks were again creeping back into it. Still, it was a five-point game after a dunk by Atlanta’s Onyeka Okongwu.

Dorian Finney-Smith finally attempted a 3-pointer and drained it. He knocked down another one. While the Hawks tried to keep it close, the Lakers took a lead of 10 at the end of the third.

The final frame began with a floater by LeBron. Both teams were playing messy and not converting on many of their shot attempts. Dorian got a 3-pointer blocked, but stayed with the play and drove to the basket for a layup.

On an assist from Cam, LeBron scored on a crafty reverse layup. LA’s lead was up to 11 with 7:45 left. LeBron started taking over, scoring on a 3-pointer and a fadeaway. He was going crazy and once again cooked the Hawks with his patented turnaround fadeaway shot.

Rui joined the party by knocking down a 3-pointer. Austin added one of his own. Garbage time hit with both teams emptying their bench.

Key Takeaways:

At this point, what more is there to say about LeBron? He is incredible.

Dalton is alive! A much-needed slump-breaking game from LA’s rookie. Hopefully, he can maintain this.

The turnovers were atrocious tonight, ending with 17. Turnovers helped the Hawks stay as close as possible through most of the game before the Lakers broke free in the second half.

The Lakers’ next game will be Sunday against the Houston Rockets at 4:00 PM PT.

You can follow Karin on Twitter at @KarinAbcarians.