What difference does another starter make?
The Hawks were already resting three starters – Jeff Teague, DeMarre Carroll and Paul Millsap – when they lost Kyle Korver to a broken nose during Sunday’s game against the lowly Lakers.
It didn’t matter.
Al Horford, the lone remaining starter, had 21 points, five rebounds, five steals and three assists as the Hawks defeated the Lakers 91-86 Sunday night at Staples Center. Horford played a normal 35 minutes as the Hawks controlled much of the game and a held off a Lakers’ fourth-quarter rally in a reserve-lead effort.
Dennis Schroder had a game- and career-high 24 points to go with 10 assists. His layup with 13.9 seconds left stopped a 16-2 Lakers run. He added two free throws in the closing seconds to ice the win.
“Coach drew up the play and trusted me,” Schroder said of the driving basket. “I challenged myself to go to the cup and I was wide open and laid it up.”
The Hawks (52-14, 22-10 road) split the season series with the Lakers and snapped an eight-game road losing streak to Los Angeles.
Korver suffered a broken nose during the second quarter and did not return. He caught a shoulder from the Lakers’ Ed Davis, who was charged with an offensive foul. Korver’s nose immediately began to bleed and he was taken to the locker room for examination.
Korver played just 10 minutes without a point before leaving the game. He will remain in Los Angeles to have his nose looked at by a specialist as the Hawks head to Sacramento. His 51-game streak with a 3-pointer ended. It was the second-longest streak of his career, behind only his NBA-record 127-game streak.
Korver was scheduled to get a day off Monday against the Kings. The Hawks were also without injured Thabo Sefolosha and Mike Scott.
The Hawks have rested two or more starters five times this season, all on the road, with a 4-1 record.
“It was a good win on the road,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “I thought our defense in the third quarter gave us some separation and a little bit of a cushion that enabled us to finish it. We weren’t great down the stretch but Dennis had the big basket late.”
Shelvin Mack had 18 points and Kent Bazemore added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Hawks. John Jenkins finished with eight points.
“We are a very dangerous team that can sit three starters and have another one go down and still get the job done,” Bazemore said.
The Lakers (17-48) have lost two straight and seven of the past eight games. Carlos Boozer and Ryan Kelly had 13 points apiece. The Lakers had 22 turnovers that led to 28 Hawks points.
The Hawks held a 41-38 advantage at halftime. They led by as many as 15 points, 23-8, in the in the first quarter after a 21-3 run. However, the Lakers responded with a 17-2 run to tie the score 25-25. It would be as close as they would get.
The Hawks took a 68-58 into the final quarter.
“This was a good win for us,” Horford said. “This team really tested us. Our guys on the bench work hard all year and waited for opportunities. They came out and showed tonight.”
The Hawks play again Monday night at the Kings, the fourth of a six-game road trip.
