NBA: Lakers post 81-point first half, trounce Hawks

LeBron James scored 31 points with 10 assists and nine rebounds, Luka Doncic added 27 points with 12 assists and the Los Angeles Lakers ended a three-game losing streak with a 141-116 victory Tuesday over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.

Deandre Ayton scored 17 points with a season-high 18 rebounds, Jake LaRavia also had 17 points and Marcus Smart added 16 as the Lakers shot 60.5% from the floor in a dominating first half and 57.8% in the game.

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The Lakers shot 19 of 34 (55.9%) from 3-point range one night after they went 8 of 36 (22.2%) in a road loss to the Sacramento Kings. Los Angeles was playing its second game in a stretch of five contests in seven days.

Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 26 points for the Hawks and CJ McCollum added 25 in his second game with Atlanta after a trade from the Washington Wizards on Friday. Corey Kispert, who also arrived in the trade for four-time All-Star guard Trae Young, added 19 points.

Jalen Johnson added 13 points for the Hawks, who saw their three-game winning streak come to an end while falling to 2-1 on a four-game road trip that ends Thursday at Portland.

The game was tied 42-42 in the second quarter when the Lakers took charge with a 21-2 run for a 63-44 lead with 5:20 remaining in the opening half. Doncic scored the final 12 points in the run, including three 3-pointers.

Los Angeles led 81-60 at halftime, its highest scoring first half of the season, while recording 19 assists on 26 made baskets.

The Lakers reached triple digits at 101-82 with 2:14 remaining in the third quarter on a shot inside from LaRavia. Once with a 32-point lead, the Los Angeles advantage was cut to 102-86 through three quarters.

The Hawks pulled within 108-97 with 9:07 remaining before the Lakers put the game away by taking a 122-99 lead with 5:51 left after a fastbreak layup from Ayton.

Lakers forward Rui Hachimura scored seven points in 18 minutes after missing the previous seven games with a calf injury.

--Field Level Media/Reuters