Official Game Thread: Hawks at Lakers

[lethalweapon3]

“…’cause your friends are my friends”

‘and my friends are your friends’

“’The More We Get Together…’”

 

I gotta start throwing together a draft gamethread for MLK Day. And we Atlanta Hawks fans are quite familiar with the Los Angeles Lakers already (10:30 PM Eastern, Bally Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, Spectrum SportsNet). So let’s just Tidbit this thing.

• LeBron (probable, sore ankle) might play, he might not. It’s more likely he’ll sit out tomorrow night’s affair in Sacramento, wedged between today’s game and Monday night’s in Denver.
• Whether James (missed the prior game due to Ye Olde Non-COVID Illness) plays, or not, matters not. Just ask the Miami heat, who suddenly can’t hit outside shots, can’t find ways to get to the free throw line, and let a Bron-less Laker contingent scamper off with a 112-109 win on Wednesday night (led by a season-high 32 points from Dennis Schröder, and 44 more points from three other Lakers on minimum-salary deals). But for the Hawks’ off-court dramatics and on-court idiosyncrasies, the NBA punditry would be shifting its full glare to Jimmy Buckets and company.
• LBJ might go for 50 tonight, he might not. He might have to, now that starter Austin Reaves (strained hammy) joins Lonnie Walker (knee tendonitis, like Reaves out at least a couple weeks) and AD (take your pick) on the shelf for Darvin Ham’s club. Russ Westbrook (sore foot) is listed as probable and Damian Jones (sore big piggy) is questionable, while Troy Brown (strained quad) was downgraded to out. Schröder limped his way through his season-high on Wednesday despite an ankle turn.
• Remember when Damian Jones had 27 starts with us? Largely because Alex Len couldn’t buy a basket? Fun times, those were. Jones can chill largely since Thomas Bryant (last 5 starts: 18.0 PPG, 72.2 FG%, 11.8 RPG; 19-and-17 @ ATL on Dec. 30) is finally figuring things out under center. That’s great news for Coach Ham if he can get Davis upright soon.
• The Lakers’ revolving door of injuries places more pressure on Rob Pelinka to find some way to upgrade the club around LeBron for the back end of the season. Howard Beck of SI reported that the team vowed to do so following James’ agreement to a contract extension this past offseason. The only first-rounders they have that aren’t off-limits are for the 2027 and 2029 drafts.
• You’ll be stunned to know I’ve quit joking about Sterling Brown’s one-time misfortune. Okay, fine, surprised. But he’s been signed to the club on a ten-day deal. Unsurprisingly, overachievers Reaves and Wenyen Gabriel beat out Saturday’s final cut line and now have this season’s contracts fully guaranteed.
• Whether Los Angeles beats the Hawks in this Crytpo.com stayover (is that company still with us? Just curious), for their second win over Atlanta in a four-game winning streak, matters not in the long run for the Lakers. This is a club that is 0-7 in the Pacific Division, joining the Pistons as the sole teams yet to register a divisional victory. That, and the 7-13 mark in-conference, does not bode confidence for postseason prospects, no matter who is suiting up once the lion’s share of key players return.
• LeBron is down to 484 points behind Kareem, and he is roughly about 100 assists behind Steve Nash and Mark Jackson to slide into fourth-place all-time. I’d give it 20 more games to reach those thresholds. And then, I maintain, if the Lakers aren’t close to the Top-8 seeds, he’ll be granted one of those Al Horford deals for the close of the season.
• After swiping Swipa to seal the deal in Wednesday’s skid-busting win, Dejounte Murray is regaining consistency by playing to his strengths as a playmaker (last 6 games: 21.7 PPG, 45.5 FG%, 6.0 APG). The outside jumpers aren’t falling, but what is encouraging is he is finding ways to get to the free throw line. He’s received at least four FTAs in five of his past six contests, compared to just two occasions in his prior 13.
• I imagine Nate McMillan visiting Trae Young’s Oklahoma ranch during the summer and finding the closest thing to barbeque around the house were some pre-packaged boneless ribs in the freezer, and some Chick fil-A sauce packets in the fridge. The dystopian duo hasn’t had much to bond over since the season began. Yet I do hope the mutual Technical Fouls they drew in the madcap win over Sacramento, properly protesting the no-call hack of John Collins, will be the kind of thing that helps them realize they are equally yoked for success this season. Buy that man a grill, Nate. Preferably propane, for your King of the Hill.

 

Let’s Go Hawks!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

~lw3

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

led by a season-high 32 points from Dennis Schröder,

He’s trying to come alive.  He thinks he’s a savvy vet and he is.. not contract negotiating wise but ya know.. he knows when to turn it on, let’s turn him off shall we! 
 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

big piggy)

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Remember when Damian Jones had 27 starts with us?

No I won’t. DON’T!!!! 

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Jones can chill

What was doing when he was with us? Stressing?  

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

LeBron is down to 484 points behind Kareem,

Warning (annoying times ahead) …

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Steve Nash and Mark Jackson

Either of whom I’d love as our coach.. I digress.. @lethalweapon3 look if Nashy gets it you and I are gonna visit the Santa Clara campus and get some cluck you chicken ! (OG days)

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Chick fil-A sauce packets

  
 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

no-call hack of John Collins,

He gets whacked a ton. #shaqrules #kempONJOHN

 

1 hour ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Let’s Go Hawks!

Thanks lw3! You da man! 
 

Vegas got Hawks -2.5

2k Hawks by 11.

Trae 34 points 8 TURNS 

DM 20/10/5/3 steals

OO 18/18/3 blocks

@Gray Mule I had my focus hat on today with the steady fingers working. I messed around and went 100% from the line! I immediately thought of you. It’s funny, some mistakes during the game (Trae’s 8 turnovers for example can be overcome by defense, rebounding and hitting you FT’s. Seems simple enough?  

Go Hawks! 

[Spud2nique]

@Gray Mule  THEY ARE FREE!!!! #wisegramps 

[Diesel]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

I imagine Nate McMillan visiting Trae Young’s Oklahoma ranch during the summer and finding the closest thing to barbeque around the house were some pre-packaged boneless ribs in the freezer, and some Chick fil-A sauce packets in the fridge.

[JayBirdHawk]

Who gets in foul trouble first tonight?

JC or OO?

[Gray Mule]

42 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Who gets in foul trouble first tonight?

JC or OO?

Yep.  Count on it!  That's the plan.

[Spud2nique]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Who gets in foul trouble first tonight?

JC or OO?

Neither baby! Swat city !!!!  Trae, JC and OO are gonna show out. The Holiday brothers as well. Lotta folks are gonna have a lot of eyes on them tonight. Guaranteed the Hawks are gonna put on a show.

[akay]

1 hour ago, Spud2nique said:

Neither baby! Swat city !!!!  Trae, JC and OO are gonna show out. The Holiday brothers as well. Lotta folks are gonna have a lot of eyes on them tonight. Guaranteed the Hawks are gonna put on a show.

I got faith in Trae the showman going off, can't wait for this 50 pt game and Lakers fans trying to get Trae on their team.

Though, Ray did like this tweet about Trae to the Warriors in 5 years and idk how to handle it 

[TheNorthCydeRises]

2 minutes ago, akay said:

I got faith in Trae the showman going off, can't wait for this 50 pt game and Lakers fans trying to get Trae on their team.

Though, Ray did like this tweet about Trae to the Warriors in 5 years and idk how to handle it 

 

Hawks need to commit to putting a winning product around Trae.

If not, I don't blame him trying to go elsewhere when his contract is up.

 

[akay]

7 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Hawks need to commit to putting a winning product around Trae.

If not, I don't blame him trying to go elsewhere when his contract is up.

 

True, and if Trae is leaving cause we're a dumpster fire, at least that means we get to roll the die at the lottery again

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Hawks are asleep right now. 

They better wake up before they're down by 14.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

5 shots by Murray already.

If this was Trae, people would be going crazy.

At least he's made 3 of them.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Nice dish by Collins.

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Murray is playing like he's trying to impress someone.

[Diesel]

Slow start. 

 

[terrell]

30 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

 

Hawks need to commit to putting a winning product around Trae.

If not, I don't blame him trying to go elsewhere when his contract is up.

 

Can we just leave him in LA?  He has a house there right? lol

 

17 minutes ago, TheNorthCydeRises said:

5 shots by Murray already.

If this was Trae, people would be going crazy.

At least he's made 3 of them.

Not if he made 3 out of 5 like Murray. But that rarely happens..

[TheNorthCydeRises]

Hawks can't stop them from getting into the paint'

 

[Marvin24Williams]

Brutal start. Come on.

[terrell]

Trae scorching from the floor once again.  smh

Too damn small to get his shot off against a tight defense.

Lakers scouting report for this game must have just been "ATTACK BOGI" in capital letters

Everyone who has been matched on him is going at him

Edited January 7, 2023 by terrell