Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Lakers: Postgame Grades and Analysis for LA
The Los Angeles Lakers blew a 21-point lead, but they recovered to defeat the Atlanta Hawks, 105-103, on Sunday night at Staples Center.
Xavier Henry led the Lakers with 18 points, and Pau Gasol posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. He also hit the game-winning free throws.
Kyle Korver lit it up for the Hawks, scoring 22 points and hitting on all six of his three-point attempts. However, it was not enough in the end.
The win marks the eighth straight time that Los Angeles, which got 48 points from its bench, has defeated Atlanta at home.
The Lakers improved to 2-2 with the victory. Meanwhile, the Hawks dropped to 1-2.
Note: Grades are based off of stats, efficiency, overall impact on both ends of the court and how the players performed when it mattered most.
Point Guard: Steve Nash
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Steve Nash came into this contest shooting 18 percent. Yes; 18 percent.
While he didn't exactly light it up from the floor Sunday night, he shot better than 18 percent, hitting on five of his 13 attempts and recording 13 points and six assists.
Nash spent a good portion of this game complaining to the officials about foul calls, and he had a legitimate gripe. There were a couple of instances where he was clearly grabbed or bumped on shot attempts, but no foul was called. He took a couple of wild shots in anticipation that there would be a whistle, but the refs did not meet his wishes.
All of that said, this was probably Nash's best game of the season, even if it wasn't all that spectacular.
Grade: B-
Shooting Guard: Steve Blake
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Steve Blake only scored three points off 1-of-5 shooting, but he made an impact in other areas of the game.
The natural point guard handed out seven assists in this one, and he was also able to grab five rebounds in 32 minutes of action. Plus, Blake didn't record a single turnover.
His lack of scoring aside, this was a decent all-around effort for Blake.
Grade: B-
Small Forward: Xavier Henry
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Mike D'Antoni decided to insert Xavier Henry into the starting lineup for this one, and the Kansas product obliged.
Henry scored 18 points off 5-of-11 shooting, utilizing his quickness and athleticism to get to the rim, finish and draw contact to get to the free-throw line where he went 6-of-8.
He didn't tally a single rebound, but the offense that he generated was absolutely huge for the Lakers.
It's really nice to see Henry forging a legitimate NBA career for himself now. It looked as if he was on his way out of the league, but it appears he may have found a home in Los Angeles. Of course, there is a long way to go, but there is no denying that Henry has looked pretty good and has brought a nice element to D'Antoni's offense.
Oh, and Henry also led all Lakers starters with a plus-four plus/minus rating. Nice.
Grade: B+
Power Forward: Shawne Williams
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Shawne Williams fouled out in just 18 minutes of floor time.
The forward scored seven points off 3-of-5 shooting and pulled down four rebounds, but it's never a good sign when you foul out in under 20 minutes.
Williams was pretty active and productive when he was eligible to play, though, so at least he has that going for him.
Still, six fouls in 18 minutes is just too much, particularly for a starter.
Grade: C
Center: Pau Gasol
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Pau Gasol got off to a good start right off the bat in this one, posting seven points and six rebounds in the first quarter alone. He then hit the game-winning free throws and blocked Kyle Korver's attempt to tie the game as time expired.
However, everything that happened in between was kind of ugly for Gasol.
Yes, the Spaniard recorded a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, but he shot only 5-of-18 from the floor and missed 11 of his last 13 takes. He forced up several bad shots in the fourth period and made absolutely no impact on the offensive glass, failing to secure a single offensive board.
Gasol was aggressive at times, but he took some very poor shots and was never really able to get into a rhythm offensively.
The fact that Pau hit those free throws and made that block to end the game saves him from a harsher grade.
Grade: C+
Sixth Man: Nick Young
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Nick Young was superb in his 21 minutes off the bench Sunday night.
The guard scored 13 points off of 5-of-9 shooting, hitting a couple of jumpers late in the shot clock and never getting out of control offensively like he is so prone to doing.
The most impressive part about Young's performance, however, was his playmaking.
The former Wizard and 76er dished out four assists, making smart, pinpoint passes to his teammates for easy buckets.
Young also grabbed four rebounds and didn't register a single turnover.
Grade: A
Bench
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The Lakers bench was very effective on Sunday night.
Chris Kaman provided a big lift, recording 10 points and five boards in 16 minutes. He displayed very good hands, making tough catches in traffic and finishing with jump hooks in the lane. The veteran shot 5-of-7 from the floor.
Wesley Johnson was incredibly effective as well. The wing was extremely active, demonstrating his outstanding leaping ability in grabbing seven rebounds (three offensive) and blocking three shots to go along with his nine points.
Jordan Farmar wasn't very efficient, going 2-of-8 from the field, but the point guard pulled down five rebounds and handed out three dimes in 19 minutes.
Jordan Hill did a spectacular job, too, making his presence felt defensively by blocking a shot and altering others. He was also very active on the glass in his 13 minutes, grabbing five boards (including a huge offensive rebound within the final minute-and-a-half) and keeping loose balls alive. Plus, he scored six points and hit a couple of clutch free throws late.
Finally, Jodie Meeks contributed five points, two rebounds and two assists in 17 minutes.
As a whole, the bench poured in 48 points for the Lakers. Talk about a sharp contrast in comparison to last season.
Grade: A+
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