PHOENIX — The Hawks took care of what should have been the hard part when they eventually slowed Lakers 7-footers Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol and held superstar Kobe Bryant in check.
It was the relatively easy things that gave the Hawks trouble late Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The Hawks squandered a strong defensive effort against the Lakers while losing 86-78 in the first game of a five-game road trip.
They lamented blowing a good chance to end their road losing streak to the Lakers at five games.
“I don’t know how many layups we missed,” Hawks coach Larry Drew said.
The answer, it turned out, was 12 (of 20 Hawks misses at the basket). The Hawks also couldn’t make 3-pointers (7-of-27) or free throws (9-of-14) and botched a handful of fast breaks with turnovers.
But missing so many high-percentage shots hurt the most. The Hawks missed four consecutive layup attempts while scoring 17 points in the second quarter and seven in a row during a 10-point third quarter.
“We got to the rim,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. “That’s what we wanted to do, but we couldn’t finish.”
The Hawks still had a chance because of their defense, which limited Bryant to 5-of-18 shooting. But the Hawks faded after leading briefly early in the third quarter and twice trimming a 17-point deficit to nine.
The Hawks lost despite forcing 17 turnovers, collecting 17 offensive rebounds and limiting Bryant to 19 points less than his scoring average.
“I think our defense was pretty good [Tuesday night], but we missed a lot of easy shots,” said Joe Johnson, who missed seven of eight 3-point attempts.
Bynum and Gasol overwhelmed the Hawks in the first quarter. They combined for 16 points, with all but two scored in the paint or from the free-throw line, and totaled seven rebounds.
Drew subbed Erick Dampier for Zaza Pachulia to give the Hawks more size to deal with Bynum. Dampier did his best to make Bynum catch the ball farther from the basket, and Josh Smith slowed Gasol’s attack on the rim.
The Lakers’ big men combined for just 19 points and 11 rebounds over the final three quarters.
Collins still out
Drew said Hawks center Jason Collins, out since suffering a sprained left elbow Feb. 2, joined the team in Los Angeles and saw his doctor Wednesday, but Drew said he’s not healed.
With Collins still out, that increases the chances the Hawks will sign Dampier to another 10-day contract when the current one expires after Saturday’s game at Portland. Dampier and Pachulia are the only healthy centers on the roster.
Johnson in All-Star shootout
The NBA announced Tuesday that Johnson will be one of six participants in the 3-point contest Feb. 25 during All-Star weekend. Johnson finished fifth of six players in the 2005 contest while playing for Phoenix.
“I’ve always wanted a chance to redeem myself,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Minnesota’s Kevin Love are the two All-Stars who will participate in the 3-point shootout. The other contestants are defending champion James Jones of the Heat, his Miami teammate Mario Chalmers, Orlando’s Ryan Anderson, and New Jersey’s Anthony Morrow, who played at Georgia Tech.
Etc.
Johnson entered the Lakers game needing 13 points to become the seventh player to score 10,000 for the Hawks. He reached the mark with a 3-point shot in the final two minutes, but shrugged off the accomplishment. “Maybe if we could have got a win it would feel a lot better,” he said. ... Hawks forward Tracy McGrady did not dress against the Suns. Drew said he rested McGrady, who has a long injury history, because it was the second night of a back-to-back. McGrady played 15 minutes against the Lakers.
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