The Hawks faced the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night during their trip to the West Coast. This would be the first time they would play since the departure of D’Angelo Russell and the additions of Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.

The Lakers scored the first four points and took advantage of mismatches. Dyson Daniels got an early steal and scored, then drained a three-pointer after a nice pass from Trae Young.

In the middle of the quarter it was 16:13 in favor of the Lakers. The Hawks gave up easy points in the restricted area. The first quarter ended with the Lakers leading 31-28. Young has already recorded five assists and five points.

Jalen Johnson continued to be a monster in transition and he became the first Hawk to reach double figures in scoring. De’Andre Hunter couldn’t get anything going in the first half, missing seven of his first eight attempts. The Hawks trailed 65-57 at halftime, with Johnson leading the team with 14 points. As usual, the Lakers were dominated by LeBron and Anthony Davis, who scored 31 points together.

Trae Young scored 11 points in the opening minutes of the third period, giving the Hawks the momentum they needed to keep the game within single digits. Daniels recorded three steals in the third quarter alone, helping the Hawks win the turnover battle. The Lakers outscored the Hawks 31-29 in the quarter and took a 96-86 lead in the fourth quarter. At that point, the Hawks had only made five of their 25 three-point attempts.

With 7:45 minutes left in the game, LeBron James made a reverse layup to bring the score to 102-91 in favor of the Lakers. LeBron James began to take the lead in the fourth quarter by hitting three-pointers and fading jump shots. The Lakers then extended their lead to 17 before Young reached the free throw line. The Hawks didn’t shoot well enough to stay in the game, highlighted by De’Andre Hunter’s only field goal attempt.

The Lakers remained in full control and defeated the Hawks 119-102.