The Lakers won in a low scoring affair at home against the Atlanta Hawks. The game consisted of some poor shooting performance and ended 86-78 on Tuesday in LA. The Lakers move to 17-12 with the win and improve their home record to a remarkable 12-2 this season. The team’s ten losses away from home are what they must be most scared of as they know legitimate playoff teams must win on the road. The team is still in second in the division behind the LA Clippers.

Pau Gasol led the Lakers with 20 points in the game. Andrew Bynum continues to lead the team in rebounds day in and day out, and collected 15 in this contest. Pau and Bynum both ended the game with double-doubles as well. Steve Blake also led the team in assists recording 6 on the night. The team shot poorly on the day especially in the middle of the game right before the half and after. In the second quarter they managed just 15 points followed by 17 in the third. They had a combined 54 points in the other quarters, which was respectable. If the team can learn to be better on the road, there is no telling how far they can go.

The Hawks managed even less than the 86 the Lakers put up in the game. Their leading scorer was Jeff Teague who scored just 18. Their leading assists player was Joe Johnson who scored 5. The team, like LA, also played their worst basketball during the 2nd and third quarter. Here, they scored 17 in the second and just a lousy 10 points in the third quarter.