LeBron James, Lakers Hang on to Beat Hawks as Trae Young’s Heroics Come Up Short

The Los Angeles Lakers are finding their groove, coming through Sunday with a 107-106 win over the Atlanta Hawks

LeBron James missed two clutch free throws but scored the go-ahead basket with 15.3 seconds remaining to lead the Lakers (7-6) to the home win at Staples Center.

Tyson Chandler’s block on Trae Young in the closing seconds secured the victory:

James finished with 26 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the team’s fifth victory in the last six games after a 2-5 start.

Young had 20 points and 12 assists as the Hawks (3-10) suffered their eighth loss in the last nine games.

Lonzo Ball Doesn’t Need to Score to Be Vital Part of Lakers 

Although he only took five shots all game, Lonzo Ball had his best performance of the season against the Hawks.

The second-year player was efficient with his scoring (eight points on five field-goal attempts), but more importantly he found ways to contribute when he wasn’t putting the ball in the basket himself.

Ball set a season high with 11 assists, several of them being highlight-reel-level dimes:

The point guard has been conservative with the ball this season, ranking 10th on the team with 15.5 percent usage rate coming into the day, per Basketball Reference. He needs to play a bigger role on the offensive end, and as he showed Sunday, that doesn’t always mean shooting the ball.

If Ball can run the offense efficiently, it can take a lot of pressure off James and help the offense flow better. There are enough shooters and scorers elsewhere on the roster that he doesn’t need to force shots.

Meanwhile, the guard was also impressive on the other end, playing strong on-ball defense and tallying six rebounds, one block and one steal.

Even when his shot isn’t falling, these are all areas in which he can help the team every night.

Ball filled up the stat sheet last season (10.2 PPG, 7.2 APG, 6.9 RPG) but didn’t get much credit because he was shooting poorly and did it for a losing team. With more talent around him, he can be exactly what’s needed this year for the Lakers. 

Trae Young Flashes Greatness With Eye-Popping 4th Quarter 

The Hawks drafted Trae Young to be the next Stephen Curry, and for a few minutes Sunday, he looked just like the two-time MVP.

Young entered the fourth quarter with a respectable nine points and seven assists with the Hawks trailing by nine points, but he turned the game around with an incredible showing in the final period.

The guard knocked down a few Curry-esque three-pointers from way beyond the arc:

As hot as he was as a shooter, he didn’t force anything and found others when they were open. This showed phenomenal patience for such a young player.

All of this led to a 11-point, five-assist fourth quarter that helped the Hawks almost pull off the upset.

Young entered the day in the midst of a mini-slump, going just 1-of-17 from beyond the arc over the past three games. He responded by playing conservative for much of Sunday’s game before getting hot late and taking advantage.

Although he needs to be more consistent, the guard has shown flashes of brilliance over the past month that give the Hawks plenty of hope for the future. Few of these flashes have been brighter than ones during the fourth quarter against the Lakers.

What’s Next?

The Lakers will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, while the Hawks will continue their road trip Tuesday with a challenging game against the Golden State Warriors.