Hawks’ rally falls short in loss to Lakers
The Hawks used a furious fourth-quarter comeback only to come up seconds short.
The Lakers’ Pau Gasol made two free throws with six seconds remaining to clinch a 105-103 victory over the Hawks Sunday night at the Staples Center.
After falling behind by as many as 21 points, the Hawks used a second-half rally to tie the score at 103-103 with 35.3 seconds remaining. Following a miss by Gasol, Jordan Hill grabbed the rebound. Paul Millsap was called for a blocking foul with six seconds remaining. After the play was reviewed by officials, Gasol was awarded two free throws.
A Kyle Korver final shot was blocked to end the game.
The Hawks (1-2) placed six players in double figures led by Korver with 22 points. Millsap (14), Jeff Teague (14), Mike Scott (13), Al Horford (12) and Dennis Schroder (10) were the others. Horford had his second straight double-double with 16 rebounds.
Xavier Henry, just inserted in the starting lineup, led the Lakers (2-2) with 18 points.
The Hawks lost for the eighth straight time at Los Angeles even as the Lakers played without Kobe Bryant, still recovering from a torn Achilles.
The Hawks went on a 29-14 run between the third and fourth quarters to cut their deficit to two points, 98-96. The Lakers pushed the lead back to five points but minutes later Korver hit a 3-pointer and Millsap hit a jumper to tie the score at 103-103 with 35.4 seconds remaining.
Korver extended his streak to 76 consecutive games with a 3-pointer. It is the fourth longest in NBA history and two behind third-place Dennis Scott and three behind third-place Michael Adams.
The Hawks trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half. They trimmed their deficit to seven points, 72-65, with a 16-6 run in the third quarter. However, a 3-pointer by Xavier Henry – a theme of the night – ignited a Lakers run to push their lead back to 17 points.
The Lakers opened the 21-point first-half lead thanks in large part to their 3-point shooting. The Lakers shot 61.5 percent (8 of 13) from long range in the first half with eight different players connecting.
It was the 3-pointer that helped the Lakers break open the game in the first quarter. They went on a 14-2 run, to take a 25-12 lead, that included four straight 3-pointers.
The Lakers used a 13-3 run to start the second quarter and enjoyed the 21-point advantage. The Hawks responded with a 13-4 run to narrow the deficit to 12 points, 50-38, only the have the Lakers push back. The Lakers led 62-49 at the intermission.
As the Lakers were scoring from the 3-point line, the Hawks struggled from the free-throw line. The Hawks finished the first half making just 40 percent (6 of 15). At one point in the second quarter the Lakers were shooting 70 percent (7 of 10) from the 3-point line while the Hawks were shooting 28.6 percent (2 of 7) from the free-throw line.
The Hawks continue their three-game road trip at the Kings Tuesday.
About the Author
Chris Vivlamore is the sports editor at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has served as reporter and editor at the AJC since 2003.
