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Lakers Roar Back to Top Hawks

On Chick Hearn’s 100th birthday, the Lakers put on a performance that the legendary broadcaster certainly would have love to call, blowing past the Atlanta Hawks, 109-95.

At first — as Hearn would say — the Lakers “couldn’t beat the Sisters of Mercy,” as Atlanta stormed out to a 32-21 first quarter lead behind 13 points from one-time Laker Dwight Howard, who was showered with boos every time he touched the ball.

But everything changed in the second period, which the Lakers (9-9) opened up with a 22-6 run to seize a lead that they would never relent.

Nick Young — who had sat out the Lakers’ previous game with a sprained toe — was huge in this quarter, providing a dozen points to help his team out to a 56-48 halftime advantage.

“He is kind of a knock-down 3-point shooter that gets the crowd into it,” head coach Luke Walton said. “He hits shots when we need it, when the offense isn’t working for us.”

Meanwhile, the Hawks (10-7) went just 7-of-20 in the second, while Howard seemed completely absent from the game, not even attempting a shot in nine minutes played.

“We came out letting them dictate the pace and be more aggressive with us,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “Second quarter, we kind of came out and brought our impact on the game and sped things up, kind of took Dwight out of it and changed the pace.”

Atlanta kept within reach through the third quarter and managed to trim the Lakers’ edge down to 86-82 early in the fourth. However, Los Angeles answered back with a 19-3 run for a 20-point lead, putting the game — in Hearn’s words — “in the refrigerator.”

Lou Williams scored 13 of his team-high 21 points in that final quarter, finishing just 5-of-13 from the field but 9-of-9 at the charity stripe.

He was followed by 18 points from Jordan Clarkson, who was more interested in talking about the kilt he was wearing in the postgame locker room, as well as Nance’s first double-double of the year.

“He picked it up defensively for us, rebounded the ball, shot the ball well,” Clarkson said. “We gave him the rock, he was making shots. He was being confident. Larry being Larry.”

Together, Williams, Nance (12 points, 10 rebounds) and Clarkson led a bench crew that outscored Atlanta’s 65-24.

“The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game,” Walton said. “It’s what we have been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively.”

Meanwhile, Young supplied 17 points and four 3-pointers, while journeyman forward Thomas Robinson added nine points and eight rebounds in his first start of the season.

Robinson — who nearly had a double-double in only 15 minutes — said his goal wasn’t “to be Superman” while helping fill the void by D’Angelo Russell (sore knee) and Julius Randle (hip pointer).

Instead Robinson — who has bounced around to six different teams since being drafted fifth overall in 2012 — sought to be valuable with his natural energy, helping the Lakers own the rebounding battle, 53-38.

“What I didn’t do earlier in my career is take baby steps,” the 25-year-old Robinson said. “I just wanted it all at one time. This is what I’m doing now. It’s a process and I’ll keep growing, keep growing. I’m still young, so I have plenty left.”

Notes
Former Laker Kent Bazemore led the Hawks with 21 points and five 3-pointers, while Howard finished with 19 points. … The Lakers swept the two-game season series with Atlanta. … The Hawks have lost five of their last six games. … Atlanta shot 4-of-10 on free throws, including a 1-of-5 mark by Howard. … Staples Center was filled by a sold-out crowd of 18,997.