3rd Quarter Report

Only one more quarter stands between the Lakers and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have a bit of a cushion as they currently lead the Hawks 109-96.

The Lakers came into the match with some extra motivation after the loss they were dealt the last time these two teams faced off. We’ll see if they’re able to flip the script or if it’ll just be more of the same.

Who’s Playing

Atlanta Hawks @ Los Angeles Lakers

Current Records: Atlanta 18-16, Los Angeles 19-14

How To Watch

• When: Friday, January 3, 2025 at 10:30 p.m. ET
• Where: Crypto.com Arena — Los Angeles, California
• TV: NBATV
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
• Ticket Cost: $74.00

What to Know

The Atlanta Hawks’ road trip will continue as they head out to face the Los Angeles Lakers at 10:30 p.m. ET on Friday at Crypto.com Arena. The Hawks are expected to lose this one by 3.5 points, so we’ll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.

The Hawks managed to keep up with the Nuggets until halftime on Wednesday, but things quickly went downhill from there. The Hawks fell victim to a bruising 139-120 defeat at the hands of the Nuggets. Atlanta has struggled against Denver recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.

Trae Young put forth a good effort for the losing side as he almost dropped a double-double on 30 points and nine assists.

Even though they lost, the Hawks were working as a unit and finished the game with 34 assists (they’re ranked third in assists per game overall). That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they’ve now racked up at least 27 assists in seven consecutive games.

Meanwhile, the Lakers rang in the new year with a 114-106 win over the Trail Blazers on Thursday.

The Lakers relied on the efforts of LeBron James, who went 7 for 10 from beyond the arc en route to 38 points plus eight assists, and Max Christie, who went 9 for 16 en route to 28 points plus two steals. The dominant performance also gave Christie a new career-high in threes (five).

Atlanta moved to 18-16 with that loss, which also ended their four-game winning streak. As for Los Angeles, they have been performing well recently as they’ve won six of their last eight matches, which provided a nice bump to their 19-14 record this season.

Friday’s contest is shaping up to be a scrappy matchup: The Hawks have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 45.9 rebounds per game (they’re ranked fourth in rebounds per game overall). It’s a different story for the Lakers, though, as they’ve been averaging only 41.3. Given the Hawks’ sizable advantage in that area, the Lakers will need to find a way to close that gap.

The Hawks skirted past the Lakers 134-132 when the teams last played back in December of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the squad won’t have the home-court advantage this time around. We’ll see if the change in venue makes a difference.

Odds

Los Angeles is a 3.5-point favorite against Atlanta, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Lakers as a 4-point favorite.

The over/under is 232 points.

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Series History

Los Angeles has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Atlanta.

• Dec 06, 2024 – Atlanta 134 vs. Los Angeles 132
• Mar 18, 2024 – Los Angeles 136 vs. Atlanta 105
• Jan 30, 2024 – Atlanta 138 vs. Los Angeles 122
• Jan 06, 2023 – Los Angeles 130 vs. Atlanta 114
• Dec 30, 2022 – Los Angeles 130 vs. Atlanta 121
• Jan 30, 2022 – Atlanta 129 vs. Los Angeles 121
• Jan 07, 2022 – Los Angeles 134 vs. Atlanta 118
• Mar 20, 2021 – Atlanta 99 vs. Los Angeles 94
• Feb 01, 2021 – Los Angeles 107 vs. Atlanta 99
• Dec 15, 2019 – Los Angeles 101 vs. Atlanta 96