The Hawks play the Suns on Thursday to wrap out their road trip.

When most people expected the Hawks to lose to the Clippers last night in Los Angeles, they pulled off a major upset. Atlanta easily defeated a team thought to be among the best in the NBA by playing excellent defense and making good three-point shooting.

Tonight, the exact opposite occurred.

The Lakers dominated the Hawks today, and the second half of the game was mainly uncompetitive. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and D’Angelo Russell all had outstanding performances, and the Lakers’ offensive assault was too much for the Hawks defense to handle. Even though it was the second game of a back-to-back, the Hawks’ subpar performance was disappointing.

Let’s review the Los Angeles game from tonight.

Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Vit Krejci, Jalen Johnson, and Clint Capela were the Hawks’ starting lineup.

D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Anthony Davis made up the starting lineup for the Lakers. Although James and Davis were dubious before the game, they both managed to participate.

There were two early large runs in this game, one by each team.

With Atlanta off to a quick 11-2 lead, the Hawks appeared to be playing the Clippers again. The Lakers were missing shots and the three-point shooting was scorching. Johnson’s posterization of Reaves during the Hawks’ early surge in the game was a highlight.

But the Lakers would dominate the remainder of the first quarter after that, and it was because of their superstars.

Los Angeles would outscore the Hawks 36–17 for the remainder of the quarter, with a combined 23 points from James and Davis. The Lakers would lead 38-28 after outscoring the Hawks 24-12 in the paint and shooting 65% in the opening frame. The Lakers aren’t regarded as one of the best offensive teams in the NBA, but throughout the first half, they were shooting a ton of baskets.

It was going to be fascinating to watch how head coach Quin Snyder would distribute playing time at center, given this was Okongwu’s first game back. Along with Trent Forrest, De’Andre Hunter, and Garrison Matthews, Okongwu received the initial minutes off the bench.

After the first quarter, Murray had nine points and Johnson had seven to lead the Hawks.

With 8:36 remaining in the first half, Atlanta cut the Lakers’ advantage to four points in the first few minutes of the second quarter. However, the Lakers quickly recovered, going on a 9-2 run to go up 54-43 and take back control of the game. Russell took over after James dominated the opening quarter, scoring 11 points and dishing out four assists to lead the Lakers in the second quarter. Although Russell divides opinions, he has been Los Angeles’ third-best player so far this season.

The Hawks would cut the lead to 14 at the half, trailing 73-59. The lead would eventually reach as much as 18. The Hawks’ subpar defense is the main cause of this. In the first half, they allowed the Lakers to shoot 44% from three and 59% from the field, allowing Los Angeles to average 1.3 points per possession.

James led all scorers with 19 points in the first half, followed by 13 each from Russell and Davis.

In the first half, Atlanta hit 28% from three and 47% from the field. Following a brilliant two-game shooting performance from beyond the arc, the Hawks had considerably cooled off against Los Angeles. Bogdanovic scored 15 points and Johnson had 17 points, six rebounds, and four assists in the first half. It was going to be another setback for the Hawks unless they could find a way to contain the Lakers’ offense.

The Hawks cut their lead to 12 points at the beginning of the second half, but the Lakers quickly restored it.

The Laker’s offensive domination was maintained by Davis, Reaves, and Hachimura, and they did so for the whole of the quarter without producing much from three points. The Lakers then made their final four three-pointers of the quarter.

The Hawks’ third-quarter woes carried over into the fourth. Atlanta finished the quarter with just a 2–10 record.

Los Angeles dominated the third quarter from start to finish, but the Hawks’ disappointing night was capped off by a three-pointer from D’Angelo Russell at the buzzer.

The Lakers’ 11-2 surge to begin the fourth quarter marked the unofficial end of the game. On the second night of a back-to-back, Atlanta was completely outplayed by the Lakers in Los Angeles.

Halfway through the fourth quarter, down 30 points, the Hawks had a frightening moment. Jalen Johnson was on the ground in agony when he fell on his right ankle, which prevented him from playing for a few games. He was able to go independently to the bench, where he sat without using the restroom.

Understanding why the Hawks lost this game is not difficult. The defense was terrible, and the three-point shooting significantly decreased. The thrilling victory over the Clippers last night was the exact antithesis of this.

Johnson had nine rebounds, four assists, and 25 points at the end of the game. From the field, Atlanta shot 43%, and from three, 22%.

Towards the end of the game, the Lakers shot 42% from three and 58% from the field. Russell led all scorers with 27 points and 10 assists, while James finished with 25 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists. Davis had 22 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists.

Thursday’s game against Phoenix will be the final one of the five-game road trip. The game is scheduled to begin at 10:30 p.m. and is expected to be another late one.