If the Hawks were expecting a box of chocolates on Valentine's Day for the Lakers, they left Staples Center empty-handed.
All they got in the second half of their 86-78 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was a smack in the face. And they got it over and over again down the stretch against a longer and stronger (in the post) Lakers team that used Pau Gasol's seventh straight double-double to help overpower the Hawks inside.
Even with the Hawks in control for the better part of the first two quarters, there was never a real comfort zone to be found. The Lakers didn't have to worry about the Hawks taking them apart inside, so they could always go to that strength with Gasol and Andrew Bynum if need be.
Those big men combined for 35 points, 28 rebounds and six blocks to thwart the Hawks at every turn. Kobe Bryant only scored 10 points with Metta World Peace adding 10 as well for the Lakers.
"We doubled their fast-break points (14-7) but got pounded inside (44-28), and that was the real difference," said Josh Smith. "If we had played our game and stuck to what we had working early, things might have been different. But we didn't and they made us pay for it."
The Lakers got plenty of help from the Hawks, who shot a miserable 4-for-27 in the third quarter. They missed all seven of their attempts from beyond the three-point line and basically handed the game over to the Lakers with their frivolous shot selection. "There is just no way you can go out there and shoot as poorly as we did in the third quarter and expect to beat anyone, let alone a good team," Hawks coach Larry Drew said. "It's just not going to happen."
NOTES, QUOTES
-Joe Johnson joined an elite club in Hawks' history late Tuesday night in Los Angeles. He hit a late three-pointer and became the first player to score 10,000 points and hand out 2,500 assists in a Hawks uniform.
Johnson will go down as one of the most decorated Hawks of all time. He's a six-time All-Star and has been a member of the U.S. Senior National Team.
But his lasting legacy has an unwritten ending. If he can find a way to lead the Hawks past the second round of the playoffs, then he'll truly join an elite club in franchise history, one that predates the Hawks' time in Atlanta, even.
-Don't let the team-high 18 points fool you; Jeff Teague struggled against the Lakers in two very critical departments.
The Hawks' point guard managed to finish with just two assists -- fewer than both Joe Johnson (five) and Josh Smith (three) and was routinely whipped on the defensive end by the Lakers' point guards, who did a splendid job facilitating for their big men.
In a game that was going to be decided by tempo and which team established theirs first and managed it throughout, Teague never could quite take control of the action.
And things won't get any easier on this trip, with the All-Star and two-time MVP Steve Nash up next Wednesday night in Phoenix.
ROSTER REPORT
-F Vladimir Radmanovic woke up from his weeks-long slumber to knock down some quality shots against one of his former teams and play a pretty good all around game against the lakers. He finished with nine points, sinking three of his six shots from long distance, and six rebounds.
-F Ivan Johnson didn't play against the Lakers with Hawks coach Larry Drew opting for the size of Erick Dampier over the energy and tenacity that Johnson usually provides. In hindsight, he might have been better off with Johnson. Dampier played 16 minutes and grabbed four rebounds, dished out an assist and blocked a shot but didn't score.
-C Zaza Pachulia's effort was admirable, but he was clearly out of his league banging heads with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. While the Lakers' big men flourished, Pachulia struggled on the offensive end, finishing with just one point on to go along with his nine rebounds and four steals.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"All you want to do is give yourself a chance to win the game. We blew that in the third quarter." -- Josh Smith, on the Hawks' dismal third-quarter performance.
