Lakers roll past slumping Hawks
LOS ANGELES -- Lou Williams scored 21 points, Jordan Clarkson had 18 and Nick Young added 17 points, and the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 109-94 Sunday night at Staples Center.
Larry Nance Jr. contributed 12 points and 10 rebounds for the Lakers (9-9), who ended a two-game slide.
Kent Bazemore scored 21 points to lead the Hawks, who fell for the fifth time in six contests. Four of those losses were by double digits.
Dwight Howard finished with 19 points and nine rebounds for Atlanta (10-7). The former Laker was booed each time he touched the basketball.
Atlanta guard Dennis Schroder collected 11 points and eight assists, while Kyle Korver and Mike Muscala each scored 10.
The Lakers swept the season series. They also beat the Hawks 123-116 in Atlanta on Nov. 2.
The Hawks built a 32-21 lead after one quarter before the Lakers rallied in the second. Los Angeles used a 22-6 run to open the second to take a 43-38 after a layup by Clarkson with 5:23 remaining in the quarter.
The Lakers went up by as much as 10 before a 3-pointer by Bazemore ended the half and pulled the Hawks within 56-48 at the break.
The Lakers outscored the Hawks 35-16 in the second and outshot them 50 percent to 35 percent. Young scored 12 of his 15 first-half points in the quarter, hitting all four of his field-goal attempts, three of them from long distance.
Los Angeles continued to dictate in the third quarter, leading by as much as 11 after Williams sank a 3-pointer with 40.5 seconds left in the quarter for an 84-73 edge. However, buckets by Millsap and Muscala sliced the advantage to 84-77 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth, the Lakers pulled away.
Overall, 12 Atlanta turnovers led to 20 points for the Lakers, who committed nine miscues for 13 points.
The Hawks had a slight edge in shooting, making 44.3 percent of their shots to 44.2 percent for the Lakers.
NOTES: Lakers F Julius Randle (hip pointer) missed his third game, and it is unknown whether he will be healthy enough to return when Los Angeles opens a four-game trip at the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. Randle was unable to complete practice Saturday due to pain in his hip, but he performed some shooting drills afterward. "He's getting better, but he's just not there yet," Lakers coach Luke Walton said. ... F Luol Deng is the only Laker to start every game this season. ... Atlanta ranked second in the league in forcing 16.8 turnovers per game (leading to an average of 18.3 points) entering the contest. The Hawks also were third in steals per game at 9.6. ... The Hawks visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday.