Lakers Rout the Hawks, But Still Face Trouble

Lakers Back on Track Coming off the most disappointing finish to their annual Grammy road-trip, the Los Angeles Lakers came out of the locker room on Tuesday night looking like the Lakers of old, dismantling the out-of-sync Hawks, 104-80. But before the Lakers went on cruise-control, former Laker Josh Powell was finally rewarded for last year’s championship run, as he received his long-awaited championship ring. It was a feel-good moment for everyone in the arena, a nice bonus to see a former Laker get his ring, but it was overshadowed by the end of the night with a long awaited Lakers win. Taking the Early Lead The Lakers dominated from the opening tip, not allowing Atlanta to lead once throughout the game. Kobe Bryant carried over his efficient scoring from Sunday’s All-Star game to yesterday night, as he led all scorers with 20 points, hitting 5 of 11 shots and making all 8 of his free-throws. Andrew Bynum made his coaches proud as he led all players in the rebounding...