On Sunday evening, the Los Angeles Lakers will take on the best team in the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks, before taking on the best in the West, the Golden State Warriors, the next evening.

The Hawks, who have already clinched a playoff berth, should have it easy in this game against the woeful Lakers. However, despite their 17-47 record, the Lakers beat the Hawks very early in the season in Atlanta by a final score of 114-109.

The win was very shocking considering how good the Hawks have been, but at the time, the Lakers did have Kobe Bryant in the lineup, and Atlanta had yet to begin their hot streak. In that November 18 game, Bryant led the Lakers with 28 points and had possibly one of the most efficient shooting nights of his short season, going 10 of 18 from the field.

In addition to Bryant’s 28, three Lakers notched double-doubles, including Carlos Boozer, Jordan Hill, and Jeremy Lin. Boozer finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Hill put in 18 points and 10 rebounds. Lin added 15 points and 10 assists. It took an all-out team effort and efficient shooting from the Lakers to pull out that win.

Since that loss to the Lakers, the Hawks have gone 46-9 and have bolstered their team chemistry. They have also been extremely efficient and team oriented, ranking top three in field goal percentage and top two in team assists. Coach Mike Budenholzer has his team sharing the ball, which has led to high percentage shots and quality offense.

This is obviously not the same Hawks team the Lakers faced 10 games into the season. For the Lakers to even have a chance in this game, they need to be crisp with their defensive rotations, which has not been the case for L.A. all season as they rank 28th in opponent’s field goal percentage and opponent’s points per game.

The Lakers last played the East’s worst team, the New York Knicks, and disappointingly lost, 101-94. Jordan Hill pioneered the Lakers with his 19 points and 10 rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome the terrific three-point shooting from New York.

Meanwhile, in their last game, the Atlanta Hawks took care of business in Phoenix by thumping the Suns, 96-87. Paul Millsap was the high man with 23 points, nine rebounds, three assists, three steals, and three blocks, filling out the box score. Kyle Korver followed suit with 14 points and four rebounds, including three three-pointers.  

The Lakers have done well against Atlanta in the past, winning the last six out of eight meetings, but the two teams have split the season series over the last two seasons, and it looks like that could be the case this season.

The Hawks have been brilliant on the road, as they own a 21-10 away record, while the Lakers have been dreadful at home with a 10-22 record.

The game tips off at 9:30 pm Eastern Standard Time.