Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (L) goes for a basket past Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James during an NBA basketball at Philips Arena, in Atlanta, GA, the US, on February 12, 2019.
CURTIS COMPTON/ajc.com
The Hawks snapped a three-game losing streak despite a triple-double from James, who had 28 points, 16 assists and 11 rebounds, The Associated Press reported.
Both teams struggled mightily in the final quarter after an up-and-down track meet over the first three periods.
The Hawks scored just seven points in the final 6:33 but managed to hold on. Taurean Prince delivered a key three-pointer with 1:48 remaining, and Young darted past James for a lay-in and a foul that thwarted any hope of a Lakers comeback.
Atlanta tied a franchise record for three-pointers in a quarter, going 10-of-17 in the opening period for a 38-32 lead. The Lakers fought back to take a 69-65 edge at the half, but Atlanta pulled ahead for good to lead 100-95 going to the fourth.
Despite chants of "Kobe's better" from the sellout crowd of 16,824, James was cheered loudly by a hefty contingent of Lakers fans. He turned in a dazzling effort, but it wasn't enough to make up for the subpar group around him. Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram scored 19 points apiece.
The Lakers had a chance after an Atlanta turnover led to a driving basket by James, cutting the home team's lead to 116-113. But after desperately trying to come up with a steal, Los Angeles was forced to foul Kevin Huerter with 4.3 seconds left. He made the second of two free throws to seal the victory.