Refreshed Lakers shoot down Hawks
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Refreshed and back in synch after the All-Star break, the Los Angeles Lakers flexed their muscles with a 104-80 thrashing of the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday.
Kobe Bryant followed up an MVP performance in Sunday's All-Star game with 20 points, while Pau Gasol added 14 points and 10 rebounds as the defending NBA champions ended a three-game losing skid in style.
Much having been made of their recent slump, the Lakers (39-19) quickly jumped on Atlanta and took a 21-point halftime lead before cruising to the finish.
"We have 24 games left in the regular season so the sense of urgency," Bryant said.
"This is not about statements, it's about us playing the right way and tonight we did a great job and came out with the win."
Currently third in the Western Conference, Los Angeles has battled inconsistency all season. The Lakers were coming off an embarrassing loss to the NBA-worst Cleveland Cavaliers in their last outing, but against Atlanta they turned up their intensity.
The Hawks (34-22) were held to just 36 percent shooting and lost for the fourth time in five games.
Joe Johnson was Atlanta's leading scorer with 14 points as the Hawks fell a game and a half behind the Orlando Magic for fourth-place in the Eastern Conference.
Road trip
Atlanta was playing the first contest of a five-game road trip against Western Conference teams and the Lakers made it a rude opening for the visitors.
Shannon Brown scored 15 points off the bench and Andrew Bynum made some critical defensive plays, grabbing 15 rebounds and blocking three shots.
"We were out there playing more aggressive defensively and it paid off," Bynum said.
"We have a goal to beat last year's record (of 57-25). Setting short-term goals and trying to meet them can change the way we play."
In Denver, J.R. Smith's 26 points helped Denver beat the Memphis Grizzlies 120-107, only hours after the Nuggets finalized a blockbuster deal that sent Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to the New York Knicks.
Tony Allen had 26 points and O.J. Mayo added 21 for the Grizzlies, who had their four-game winning streak halted.
Elsewhere, it was: Celtics 115, Warriors 93; Heat 117, Kings 97; Thunder 111, Clippers 88; Bobcats 114, Raptors 101; Pacers 113, Wizards 96; Rockets 108, Pistons 100; and Bucks 94, Timberwolves 88.
