Here is what you need to know before the Lakers’ contest with the Atlanta Hawks.
1)
The Lakers are coming off their biggest win of the young year: a 108-104 victory over the Washington Wizards. It was an especially special game for Kobe Bryant, who dropped a season-high 31 points to push L.A. past Washington for the first time since 2010.
2)
In anticipation for Bryant’s final game in Atlanta, the Hawks and Zoo Atlanta partnered for tribute fitting for someone nicknamed after the world’s deadliest animal.
3)
Few teams take advantage of turnovers as much as Atlanta, who is converting them into 20.3 points, which ranks second in the NBA. The Hawks create the fifth-most giveaways and are also shooting a league-best 63.0 percent in transition.
4)
Atlanta spreads the ball around better than nearly every other team. It hands out the second-most assists (25.3), while ranking second in catch-and-shoot scoring (31.4).
5)
Lou Williams is returning to face the team that he played two seasons for from 2012-14. He also grew up in the area, going to South Gwinnett High, where he was twice named Georgia Mr. Basketball.
6)
Paul Millsap has done it all for Atlanta, as he leads the team in scoring (18.4), rebounds (9.6) and steals (1.9). The 30-year old is 10th in the NBA in steals and has scored double digits in all but one game this year.
7)
Al Horford is shooting a career-low 48.9 percent from the field, but part of this is because he’s added another facet to his arsenal. After making just 21 3-pointers in his previous eight seasons combined, he now leads all centers by hitting 2.1 per game.
8)
Kyle Korver has led the NBA in 3-point percentage in back-to-back seasons, but he ranks “just” 16th this year, hitting a 44.2 percent clip.
9)
Backup point guard Dennis Schroder is looking for a repeat performance from the last time he faced the Lakers. On March 15, the then-sophomore racked up a career-best 24 points against the purple and gold.
10)
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer is the reigning Coach of the Year after leading Atlanta to the top seed in the Eastern Conference. He began his career as a longtime assistant in San Antonio, including from 1996-2000 alongside current Lakers assistant Paul Pressey.
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