LeBron’s birthday outing lifts Lakers past Hawks.
ATLANTA — The Lakers win it over the Hawks in a high-energy second half behind LeBron James’ 47-point birthday performance, beating Atlanta 130–121 to improve their record to 15–21.
The inconsistency of the second-half bug was nonexistent for the Lakers in Friday’s win, as they outscored Atlanta 68–54 in the second half while scoring a season-high 74 points in the paint.
On a birthday when most NBA players don't even scratch beyond 15-20 points, LeBron James turned back the clock with a masterful Hall-of-Fame performance on his 38th birthday.
“When he has those types of performances, it’s inspiring because he plays the right way,” said head coach Darvin Ham. “It makes his teammates want to go out there and help him.”
LeBron finished with a near triple-double of 47 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists, going 4-for-6 (66%) from three and 8-for-27 (66%) total from the floor in 39 minutes.
“I’ve been scoring 30, and it hasn’t worked, so I’m gonna try 40,” said LeBron.
With the absence of Anthony Davis due to a foot injury, Thomas Bryant has stepped up well in his role as the Lakers' starting big man, having a season-high outing in Friday’s win.
Bryant finished with 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting from the field and a season-high 17 rebounds in 34 minutes.
“You just don’t want to take greatness for granted like that,” said Bryant on LeBron’s night.
Russell Westbrook was the Lakers’ spark off the bench, scoring 14 points on 60% (6-for-12) shooting, notching 11 assists and 8 rebounds in 29 minutes.
“Hopefully, we can gain some momentum as we go into the New Year,” said Westbrook on Friday’s win.
The Lakers will play their final game of a five-game road trip next Monday against the 10–26 Charlotte Hornets at 4:00 P.M. on Spectrum SportsNet.
Happy New Years, everyone!
