LeBron James’ umpteenth symphony saves Lakers from own crisis

The Los Angeles Lakers hosted the Atlanta Hawks at Crypto Arena in what was, indisputably, one of the bleakest moments of their season – perhaps the bleakest. The rise of the Timberwolves, the strong play of the Nuggets without Nikola Jokić, the level shown by Victor Wembanyama’s Spurs and the still-unreachable Thunder meant the Lakers were watching their place in the ultra-competitive Western Conference begin to wobble. Home-court advantage in the first round – a prize reserved for the top four – is starting to look like a survival exercise, and it is fair to wonder whether this roster is equipped for that kind of fight.

That concern only deepens when looking at the bigger picture for the team coached by JJ Redick, who admitted he thought LeBron James would not play after the previous game. The problem is not just results – the Lakers had lost three straight, matching their worst streak of the season – but how they look. A glaring lack of cohesion, thin bench depth, injuries to key players and a dreadful defense define this stretch. Los Angeles rank 26th in defensive rating and rebounding, last in three-point percentage and last in bench scoring. Individual talent has kept them afloat, but that is cold comfort for a team built around LeBron, Luka Dončić, and an injured Austin Reaves. In mid-January, this is not the profile of a true contender.

Atlanta, on paper, looked like a chance to change the narrative – but they arrived in Los Angeles at a very different stage of their own reset. The Hawks had been drifting until they traded Trae Young, and as so often happens, improvement followed the departure of a franchise star. It is a new era in Atlanta, and it came into Crypto Arena riding three straight wins – including blowout road victories over the Nuggets and Warriors on a West Coast trip that suddenly felt meaningful.

The game, however, was decided by the man who has been doing this for 23 seasons. At 41, LeBron produced another statement performance: 31 points, nine rebounds and 10 assists on 12-of-20 shooting, 2-of-4 from deep and 5-of-6 at the line in under 33 minutes. Dončić added 27 points with five rebounds and 12 assists, while Deandre Ayton dominated inside with 17 points and 18 boards. Atlanta got 26 points from Nickeil Alexander-Walker and 25 off the bench from CJ McCollum, but it was not enough.

After a shaky start, the Lakers erupted for 37 points in the first quarter and 44 in the second, building a 32-point lead. The fourth quarter brought familiar anxiety as the Hawks cut the deficit to 11, threatening another collapse. Then LeBron restored order, closing the door for a team that finished with 36 assists – 22 from its two superstars – and 23 fast-break points. It was a reminder, once again, that even in chaos, the old king can still conduct the symphony.

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Los Angeles Lakers

Stats

23 LeBron James
12 Jake LaRavia
5 Deandre Ayton
77 Luka Dončić
36 Marcus Smart
6 Kobe Bufkin
28 Rui Hachimura
9 Bronny James Jr.
14 Maxi Kleber
4 Dalton Knecht
3 Nick Smith Jr.
17 Drew Timme
2 Jarred Vanderbilt
7 Gabe Vincent

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
23 LeBron James	32	31	9	1	8	10	4	1	1	5/6	10/16	2/4	0	1	0
12 Jake LaRavia	35	17	4	1	3	3	2	1	0	2/2	3/6	3/4	0	3	0
5 Deandre Ayton	30	17	18	3	15	1	0	0	0	3/3	7/9	0/0	0	3	0
77 Luka Dončić	33	27	5	2	3	12	7	0	1	8/10	2/7	5/9	0	4	0
36 Marcus Smart	29	16	5	2	3	4	0	0	1	6/6	2/2	2/3	0	3	0
6 Kobe Bufkin	3	3	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	1/1	0	0	0
28 Rui Hachimura	18	7	2	1	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	2/4	1/3	0	0	0
9 Bronny James Jr.	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	0/1	0/0	0	0	0
14 Maxi Kleber	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	0	0
4 Dalton Knecht	15	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/2	0	2	0
3 Nick Smith Jr.	3	6	0	0	0	2	1	0	0	0/0	0/0	2/2	0	0	0
17 Drew Timme	3	2	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/0	0	0	0
2 Jarred Vanderbilt	15	3	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1/2	1/1	0/1	0	0	0
7 Gabe Vincent	14	10	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	1/1	0/1	3/5	0	1	0

Atlanta Hawks

Stats

1 Jalen Johnson
27 Vít Krejčí
17 Onyeka Okongwu
7 Nickeil Alexander-Walker
5 Dyson Daniels
18 Mouhamed Gueye
24 Corey Kispert
3 CJ McCollum
14 Asa Newell
2 Keaton Wallace

Stats

	Min	Pts	TR	OR	DR	Ast	Los	Rec	Blk	S1	S2	S3	RF	CF	Val
1 Jalen Johnson	30	13	3	1	2	6	0	1	0	2/2	4/10	1/7	0	4	0
27 Vít Krejčí	21	11	2	1	1	4	1	1	0	2/2	3/4	1/7	0	3	0
17 Onyeka Okongwu	33	7	8	1	7	4	1	0	1	1/2	3/5	0/3	0	4	0
7 Nickeil Alexander-Walker	33	26	4	0	4	3	0	0	0	1/1	5/7	5/9	0	3	0
5 Dyson Daniels	32	8	8	5	3	5	0	2	0	0/0	4/6	0/0	0	1	0
18 Mouhamed Gueye	22	5	4	2	2	1	0	5	0	2/2	0/2	1/2	0	2	0
24 Corey Kispert	25	19	0	0	0	1	2	0	0	4/6	3/4	3/7	0	2	0
3 CJ McCollum	27	25	1	0	1	3	2	1	0	1/3	9/15	2/8	0	2	0
14 Asa Newell	10	0	1	1	0	2	0	1	0	0/0	0/0	0/1	0	2	0
2 Keaton Wallace	3	2	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0/0	1/1	0/2	0	0	0