Lonzo Ball's Efficiency, Brandon Ingram's Scoring Lead Lakers to Win vs. Hawks

The Los Angeles Lakers cruised to a 123-104 win over the Atlanta Hawks, thanks in small part to Lonzo Ball's 13 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

The rookie point guard also finished a perfect 4-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 from three-point range in 24 minutes on the floor.

Brandon Ingram led the Lakers in scoring and was one of three Lakers players to finish with a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds). Julius Randle (19 points, 10 rebounds) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (10 points, 14 rebounds) posted double-doubles as well.

All but one of the 10 players who appeared for the Lakers hit double figures in scoring—a feat that hasn't happened for Los Angeles in over three decades, per Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com's Ohm Youngmisuk):

Ball entered Monday night hitting just 30.8 percent of his three-pointers this season. Lakers sideline reporter Mike Trudell reported his shooting has improved in recent weeks, though:

The Lakers are still playing it safe with Ball after he recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of action for a little more than a month. He returned in Los Angeles' 124-102 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, but the team held him out of its 113-108 win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

Prior to Monday's game, head coach Luke Walton confirmed Ball would remain on a minutes restriction, per Spectrum SportsNet:

The fact the Lakers dominated the Hawks for much of the game meant Walton didn't need to deviate much from the plan for Ball.

Ball started on the bench and didn't come onto the floor until the 4:53 mark of the first quarter with Los Angeles up 15-14. He made the most of his limited playing time. His plus-minus rating of plus-18 was second-best on the team.

The Lakers led 28-22 after the opening quarter and took a 64-46 advantage into the locker room at halftime despite turning the ball over 15 times in the first half, which basically matched their season average of 15.5.

The Lakers compensated for their turnover problems by shooting 52.2 percent and hitting 15 three-pointers. They also owned a 59-41 edge in rebounding. Caldwell-Pope's 14 boards are a career high, beating his previous best of 11 that he set earlier this month.

Los Angeles also dominated Atlanta on the defensive end, holding the Hawks to an 8-of-36 clip from beyond the arc.

With Monday's victory, the Lakers move to 26-34 on the season. That may not seem too impressive, but it equals the team's win total for all of last year. SB Nation's Silver Screen & Roll added more perspective:

The Lakers have won three in a row since they returned from the NBA All-Star break, but that winning streak could be in jeopardy later in the week. Los Angeles has difficult road matchups with the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs on Thursday and Saturday before heading home to play the Portland Trail Blazers on March 5.

Still, the Lakers' performance Monday night is evidence of the progress they've made in Walton's second season on the sideline.