The Los Angeles Lakers will end a six-game road trip with a showdown against the Atlanta Hawks this Tuesday. The Hawks, on the other hand, will begin a four-game homestand with this matchup.
Catch this game live on Tuesday, February 2, at 8:30 AM, Manila time
HOME TEAM: Atlanta Hawks (10-9, 5-4 at home)
Behind Trae Young’s 41-point explosion, the Hawks got back to winning ways by defeating the Washington Wizards on the road last Saturday, 116-100.
Young went 10 of 18 from the field with five 3-pointers and hit 16 of 17 shots from the foul line. Young is transforming into a pocket version of James Harden, largely due to his ability to draw fouls and get to the charity stripe a ton of times each game.
On the season, Young is second in the league in both free throw attempts and free throws made per game — behind Joel Embiid in both categories. The Hawks are bracing for Anthony Davis, but they are confident the surging Clint Capela can hold his ground down against the Lakers’ biggie. Capela has averaged a double-double of 12.0 points and 15.5 rebounds.
The elevated play for former Virginia Cavaliers stud DeAndre Hunter has also been huge for the Hawks. Hunter has put up 18.6 points on 54.0 FG% in his past five appearances.
The Hawks, who are second overall with 56.4 rebounds per game, are 5-0 against the spread in their last five at home.
ROAD TEAM: Los Angeles Lakers (15-6, 11-2 on the road)
The Lakers were not going to let themselves suffer a three-game losing skid, as the Purple and Gold took down the Boston Celtics on the road last Sunday, 95-96.
The Lakers leaned on Anthony Davis and LeBron James as usual,m with the former scoring 27 points to go with 14 rebounds while the latter had 21 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
Davis was initially questionable to play the Celtics due to a bruise in his right quad but got the green light just before the tipoff. Based on his performance against the Celtics, it’s safe to say that Davis is just going to be fine when the Lakers face off with the Hawks.
A full day of rest should be enough for Davis to improve his condition and beneficial for the 36-year-old body of James, who is leading the Lakers this season with 25.2 points per game on 49.2 FG%. The Lakers’ bench showed up as well in the Boston game, with Kyle Kuzma and Montrezl Harrell scoring 11 and 16 points, respectively.
Their output on offense will be crucial for the Lakers, especially if Marc Gasol and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope continue to sputter. The two combined for a grand total of 1 point against the Celtics.
The Lakers have covered the spread in six of their last 10 games. The Lakers have also won in seven of their last 10 trips to Atlanta.
PREDICTIONS:
The Lakers have gotten their groove back after their win over the Boston Celtics. LeBron James will plow through Atlanta’s defense and carry the team to a 118-113 victory.
