Like the (very) great player that he is, LeBron James gave himself the most beautiful birthday present. In the great victory of Lakers to Atlanta (130-121), and in front of an audience surprisingly won over to his cause, the “King” thus compiled a whopping 47 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists (in 40 minutes)!!!
Huge in this part, the man with now 38 springs behaved like a boss when necessary. First keeping alive Los Angeles in the second quarter (16 points), when there were about ten points behind, before allowing his team to gradually make up for their delay in the third quarter (13 points), then install for good at the controls in the last quarter (16 points).
Despite his 29 points and 8 assists, Trae Young therefore could only bow down with his Hawks in front of the masterpiece of LeBron James, downright acclaimed by “MVPs! MVP! MVP! “. Same observation for Dejounte Murrayauthor of 20 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists.
Consequently, 2022 ends on a high note for the Purple & Gold, as Nate McMillan’s players lose for the third time in a row and go to Christmas Eve with doubts in their heads.
WHAT YOU MUST REMEMBER
— LeBron James in his galaxy. On his 38th birthday, the four-time MVP showed everyone that he still had a lot under the hood. At the edge of a triple-double XXL, he continued to destroy the Hawks defense, without spoiling the shot: 18/27 on shots, 4/6 at 3-pts and 7/9 on throws. The worst is that he had yet started this meeting timidly (2 points to 1/5 on shots after twelve minutes). But in the next three quarters, no one could stop the Lakers winger, who became the fourth 38-year-old to score 45+ points in a game, after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Jamal Crawford.
— Los Angeles made the difference after the break. Accustomed to losing ground in the third quarter this season, the Lakers have for once built their success in this period. Unsustainable offensively (36 points) and dominating in the paint, they obviously relied on LeBron James to come back to score, while the energetic Wenyen Gabriel also did his part of the work inside, off the bench. In the last act, the attack continued to work (32 points) and the “King”, with Thomas Bryant, was responsible for bending the case by still attacking the racket and sanctioning from afar, if necessary.
TOPS/FLOPS
✅ Thomas Bryant. Behind the exceptional LeBron James, it is the pivot of the Lakers who played the luxury lieutenants this night. With his big double-double (19 points and 17 rebounds), he was a very solid second offensive option for the “Purple and Gold” throughout the evening. Regular, Bryant did not experience a drop in speed in attack, taking advantage several times of the caviars of Russell Westbrook and “LBJ” to score near the circle. In defense, if intimidation is still not his forte, he has at least managed to secure the paint, allowing his team to win the rebound battle. To reproduce.
✅ Onyeka Okongwu. Rather than Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, we preferred to retain the performance of the pivot of the Hawks (17 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks), which continues to provide the interim and to gain thickness, without Clint Capela. If the young Jalen Johnson (15 points, 7 rebounds) and AJ Griffin (13 points) also offered good things, difficult to ignore the influence of “Nyeka” under the panels. Precious in defense, with his versatility and his ability to intimidate, Okongwu is also important in attack, with his availability and his ability to properly conclude the caviars of Young / Murray.
⛔ John Collins. Consistency is definitely not what best describes the interior of the Hawks. After two outings at 26 and 21 points, where he had managed to be reliable and important for his team, this time he finished with only 7 points (and 9 rebounds) on the clock. The fault, in particular, to his foul problems (6…), which limited him to 23 minutes. And, when Collins was able to play, his shortcomings in defense caused him to suffer in front of LeBron James or even Thomas Bryant. Not the kind of performance that will push Atlanta executives to keep him past the trade deadline…
⛔ Austin Reaves. Replaced in the starting five, to compensate for the absence of Lonnie Walker IV, the rear of the Lakers did not manage to forget the usual holder of the Californian franchise. Author of 5 small points in 26 minutes, he thus had a beautiful hole in the shoot (1/13, including 1/9 at 3-pts…), despite several good shooting positions. Nevertheless, Reaves had the merit of not refusing his shots and continuing to send, in addition to showing this energy, this combativeness that characterizes him so much.
THE FOLLOWING
Atlanta (17-19) : trip to Golden State, in the night from Monday to Tuesday (04:00).
Los Angeles (15-21) : trip to Charlotte, in the night from Monday to Tuesday (01:00).
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