Lakers send Hawks to first loss
ATLANTA -- Lou Williams, a former Atlanta Hawks player returning to his hometown, was no factor until the fourth quarter for the Los Angeles Lakers and then the veteran guard couldn't be stopped.
Williams scored 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and the Lakers handed the Hawks their first loss after three wins with a 123-116 comeback victory on Wednesday night.
D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points for the Lakers (2-3) and Nick Young had 17 points, including a clinching 3-pointer with 17.9 seconds remaining.
Dwight Howard had 31 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 26 for the Hawks, who allowed a team to reach 100 points for the first time this season and couldn't hold a second-half lead.
The Lakers won despite being without someone to match up inside against Howard, who had six dunks. Center Timofey Mozgov suffered a eye injury Wednesday night at Indiana and the Lakers started 19-year-old Ivica Zubac, making his NBA debut.
With Williams scoring 11 points, the Lakers outscored the Hawks 17-6 in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter and were up 107-100. The Hawks got within 111-130 on a dunk by Howard, but Williams hit a deep 3-pointer and the Lakers pulled away.
The Hawks led by 12 points shortly after halftime before the Lakers scored 39 points to pull with 94-90 going to the fourth. Young heated up for 12 points and Russell had nine for the Lakers in the quarter. Howard scored 10 points.
Hardaway, hitting 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point arc, scored 14 points in the final five minutes of the first quarter as the Hawks expanded a 17-16 lead to 37-28.
Jordan Clarkson got hot for the Lakers in the second quarter, scoring 11 of his 15 first-half points, but the Hawks still were up 60-51 at intermission.
Hardaway scored 16 points in the first half and Howard had 15, including nine in the first quarter. Howard made 4 of 7 shots from the field and was 7 of 10 from the foul line.
Zubac had the Lakers' first four points but picked up his third foul midway in the first quarter trying to guard Howard and had his fourth before the second quarter was half over.
NOTES: Lakers C Tomofey Mozgov, who didn't play against the Hawks because of a left eye contusion, will be examined further on Thursday in Los Angeles after a CT scan on Wednesday was inconclusive. He was hit in the eye by an elbow on Wednesday in Indiana after earlier in the game taking a blow to the mouth that required four sutures. ... Rather than disrupt the second unit, coach Luke Walton started rookie C Ivica Zubac, a 19-year-old from Croatia who was inactive for the Lakers' first four games. ... Hawks C Tiago Splitter (hamstring) is on track to return by mid-November. F Mike Scott (knee) isn't expected back until December. ... The Lakers, who won their opener at home against Houston, play Golden State on Friday in the first of three straight home games. ... It was the first of two games in four days against former team Dwight Howard. The Hawks host Houston on Saturday. ... The Hawks on Tuesday announced an agreement in principle with the city of Atlanta for a $192.5 million renovation of Philips Arena that will keep the team downtown through 2046.