LeBron James balls out as Lakers breeze past Hawks to win season-best fourth-straight game

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If their triumph against the Hawks connected Friday nighttime is thing to spell by, seems similar the Lakers are turning the corner. 

The comfy 134-118 triumph is the team's season-best 4th successful a enactment and takes the Lakers to 21-19 for the season, the archetypal clip they person been 2 games supra .500 since Dec. 17. 

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Five players scored successful treble figures for the Lakers arsenic the team knocked down 17 3-pointers astatine an ratio of 41.5 percent, some of which are large jumps from their play averages of 12.1 makes and 35.1 percent respectively. On defense, they recorded 14 steals against 1 of the league's champion offenses and scored 28 points disconnected the Hawks' 15 turnovers.

All this without Anthony Davis, truthful determination was plentifulness to observe from this Lakers win.

LeBron James continues superhuman stretch

In 36 minutes of playing time, LeBron James stuffed the stat expanse with 32 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 blocks connected 13-of-24 shooting from the field. 

Could you judge those are numbers recorded by a subordinate who conscionable turned 37? Well, The King is making it believable. As per Statmuse, James is the archetypal subordinate since 1975 to person astatine slightest recorded 30/8/8/3/3 erstwhile aged much than 34.

With this game, the Lakers amended to an undefeated 5-0 erstwhile helium plays astatine halfway portion averaging 127 points per game. It's not conscionable the numbers, James is inactive entertaining with immoderate stellar highlight-reel dunks.

While he's putting up spectacular stats, he's crediting the caller squad occurrence to guys returning to the line-up. 

“It’s that simple…We’re starting to spot what we person due to the fact that guys are successful the lineup," James said postgame. 

Malik Monk erupts for season-best

Malik Monk is enjoying a career-best season with the Lakers successful what is his fifth year successful the league, particularly successful the caller agelong arsenic a starter. 

Against the Hawks, the 6-foot-3 defender erupted for a season-high tally of 29 points with 21 of those coming from beyond the arc. 

This crippled takes his season's mean to a career-high 12.1 points per game. He's besides shooting a career-high ratio of 48.1 percent from the tract and nailing a career-high 2.1 3-pointers per crippled astatine a clip of 39.7, which is not acold disconnected his career-high of 40.1 percent. 

Glimpses of Horton-Tucker's promise

After immoderate truly unsmooth games done the period of December, Talen Horton-Tucker enactment unneurotic a large crippled against the Hawks. 

In 30 minutes, helium scored 21 points which included a idiosyncratic 10-0 tally precocious successful the 3rd 4th erstwhile the Lakers truly began pulling distant from the Hawks. Along with that, helium also dished retired 5 assists connected 7-of-13 shooting from the field.

Team play connected some ends

37 assists. 14 steals and lone 8 turnovers. Those are numbers which much often than not pb to victory. 

Similar to their 3-point shooting, these numbers are a immense measurement successful the close direction from the team's season averages - 24.6 assists (10th best), 8.4 (7th best) and 15.3 turnovers (26th).

"We cognize that if we don't bushed ourselves, we tin beryllium pugnacious to beat," caput manager Frank Vogel said postgame. The Lakers springiness up an mean of 17.2 points disconnected turnovers, which ranks 25th successful the league.

The situation for the squad present would beryllium to support this modular of play and they person a large trial coming up connected Sunday to bash that arsenic they host the Memphis Grizzlies, who person won 7 straight.