The Atlanta Hawks began a brutal four-game road trip on Sunday evening with modest expectations, as many predicted a cruise-control victory for LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. While that kind of win did not take place, the Hawks were unable to pull off the upset at Staples Center, falling by a razor-thin margin by a final score of 107-106.
Atlanta opened the game in positive fashion, scoring the first nine points of the game and generating stops defensively. From there, however, the Lakers took control for the remainder of the period, overcoming turnover issues and outscoring the visitors by a 28-13 margin for the rest of the 12-minute opener.