With a recital by the star Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks added their seventh straight win by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 129-121 on Sunday, who again fell short in the absence of LeBron James.
‘King James’, second highest scorer in the NBA with an average of 29.1 points, missed his third consecutive game due to discomfort in his left knee, for which he will undergo further tests.
If on Friday the Lakers were about to come back 20 points to the Hornets, on Sunday it was the Los Angeles team that allowed the Hawks to turn the scoreboard in the last quarter with an exceptional Trae Young, who finished with 36 points and 12 assists.
The young guard Malik Monk, with 33 points and 10 rebounds, and center Anthony Davis, with 27 and 5, propelled the Lakers in one of their best first parts in attack, closed with a 71-62 advantage.
The Los Angeles team extended its distance to 10 points at the start of the fourth quarter, when the Hawks gritted their teeth on defense.
Given the impotence of the Los Angeles centers, the young Onyeka Okongwu appeared to take control of the paint with 10 points in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers’ questionable defense also couldn’t contain Trae Young when he came to a boil.
The point guard appeared at key moments to seal the local victory with 15 points in the last quarter while Monk, who had made 8 triples, missed his last shots in search of a comeback.
The Lakers, who do not know when they will recover LeBron, occupy a disappointing ninth place in the Western Conference, which would force them to play a play-off (‘play in’) to reach the playoffs.
The Hawks, on the other hand, have accumulated seven consecutive wins with which they rise to tenth place in the East, which gives them the right to play the ‘play in’.
In the second of eight games on Sunday, the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets 115-90.
The Angelenos made the most of their deep bench against a Hornets who missed injured Kelly Oubre Jr. and Gordon Hayward.
Reggie Jackson and rookie Brandon Boston Jr. each scored 19 points for the Clippers while talented point guard LaMelo Ball had 23 points and 10 assists for Charlotte.
Sunday results in the NBA:
Charlotte Hornets – LA Clippers 90-115
Atlanta Hawks – LA Lakers 129-121
Later:
Chicago Bulls – Portland Trail Blazers
Detroit Pistons – Cleveland Cavaliers
Orlando Magic – Dallas Mavericks
Milwaukee Bucks – Denver Nuggets
Minnesota Timberwoles – Utah Jazz
Phoenix Suns – San Antonio Spurs
gbv/cl
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