Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images
Dominant performances from LeBron James and Anthony Davis carried the Los Angeles Lakers to an impressive 136-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
The Lakers’ superstar duo both posted double-doubles. James had 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting with 10 assists and seven rebounds in 29 minutes. Davis finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, six assists and two steals in 31 minutes.
The win, combined with the Golden State Warriors’ loss to the New York Knicks, pushed the Lakers back into the No. 9 seed in the race for home court in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
Fans were quick to heap praise on both Lakers All-Stars for shouldering the load as they try to get the team into the playoff picture with less than four weeks remaining in the regular season.
ɴᴏᴛ @georgemikan
Players to average 60+ 2P%, 35+ 3P% and 6+ APG in a season:<br><br>✧ 2013 LeBron<br>✧ 2014 LeBron<br>✧ 2017 LeBron<br>✧ 2018 LeBron<br>✧ 2021 Jokic<br>✧ 2022 LeBron<br><br>LeBron has a chance to re-join the club this season, but his 2P% is currently just shy at 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 58.6%: <a href=”https://t.co/OZhoXgfdNb”>pic.twitter.com/OZhoXgfdNb</a>
BronMuse @BronMuse
Most field goals made in the 4th quarter this season:<br><br>167 — LeBron James<br><br>156 — De’Aaron Fox<br>153 — Giannis Antetokounmpo<br>153 — Jalen Williams<br>147 — Kevin Durant<br>137 — Anthony Edwards<br>136 — Stephen Curry<br>135 — DeMar DeRozan<br><br>Oldest player in the association. <a href=”https://t.co/oa4xmB2SEq”>pic.twitter.com/oa4xmB2SEq</a>
The Lakers also got a significant contribution from D’Angelo Russell in the win. He scored a game-high 27 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting with 10 assists.
Russell’s six threes matched his total from the previous three games combined. Davis showed no lingering effects from the eye injury he suffered in the first quarter of Saturday’s loss to the Warriors that took him out of the game.
Los Angeles’ defense held the Hawks to 42.9 percent shooting overall and 9-of-41 from three-point range. Dejounte Murray scored just 13 points and was a game-worst minus-25 in 31 minutes.
The Lakers (37-32) and Warriors (35-32) are tied in the loss column, but Los Angeles has a one game lead in the standings thanks to two more victories. Those two teams will play for the final time in the regular season on April 9 at Crypto.com Arena.
Next up for the Lakers is another home game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
First appeared on bleacherreport.com