When your coach says he knew trouble was coming two minutes in, you’re not talking about a bad night, but you’re talking about a collapse. “I realized that in the first two minutes of the game,” said JJ Redick, acknowledging how fast Saturday’s matchup at State Farm Arena veered off course. The November 8 loss wasn’t just a stumble as Atlanta thumped Los Angeles 122-102, snapping the Lakers’ five-game win streak and dropping them to 7-3.
What Has Deandre Ayton Said Regarding the Loss Against the Atlanta Hawks?
During his postgame availability, Deandre Ayton didn’t sugarcoat the performance. Frustrated and blunt, he called out the team’s defensive effort.
“Us not even damn near competing in the sense it looks bad on paper, it looks bad on the film. This is one of them games where… yeah, the food’s gonna taste bad tonight. This is the NBA, we got 82 games next game up,” said Ayton during the postgame interview.
The tone was set immediately by the Hawks’ defense. Atlanta came out with pressure at the point of attack, jumping passing lanes and forcing the Lakers into difficult looks. LA sputtered to just 47.6% field shooting in the opening quarter and struggled to establish rhythm while the Hawks turned takeaways into easy runouts and secured a 37-29 edge after one.
Mouhamed Gueye embodied Atlanta’s edge as the forward scored 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting plus seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals and a block, constantly igniting transition. If we see every Hawks starter finished in double figures and the team collectively also drilled 51.1% from the field.
The third quarter was where things completely unraveled. It was a manageable 14-point halftime deficit that spiraled into a nightmare as Atlanta, which was missing stars like Trae Young and Jalen Johnson, outscored the Lakers 30-18 in the frame. Their relentless ball movement turned a 68-54 score into a 98-72 advantage by the end of the quarter.
Los Angeles looked lifeless as Luka Dončić, who had carried the offense early with 22 first-half points, went scoreless in the third due to foul trouble and aggressive Hawks defense.
“We made them call the first timeout, but after that, they came out even more aggressive and locked in,” said Ayton regarding the Lakers’ performance in the third quarter.
For Ayton, the loss was personal. The Lakers’ center ended the night with just 11 points on 5-5 field goals and five rebounds. His early efforts in the third quarter hinted at a possible spark, but he quickly faded along with the team’s defensive focus.
For a Lakers group that had stacked five straight wins by defending, running, and closing, this was a sobering reset. Redick saw the warning signs almost immediately. Ayton said the quiet part out loud. And the Hawks made both truths undeniable.
