The Atlanta Hawks continued their road trip Tuesday night, where they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 116-141.
For what feels like the first time all season, the Hawks actually had the rest advantage in this one. The last time they suited up was on Sunday night in Golden State, while the Lakers suffered a loss to the Kings the night before.
Knowing that the Lakers would be playing on the second night of a back-to-back, the Hawks had a real opportunity to dictate the pace and come away with their fourth consecutive victory.
The injury report was misleading, which may have left Atlanta unprepared for the matchup. Just a few hours before the game, both Luka Doncic and LeBron James were listed as questionable. It seemed to be trending toward them not playing.
Up until Tuesday's matchup, James had not played both games of a back-to-back all season. It was reasonable to assume that he wouldn't play in a home matchup against a cross-conference opponent.
Still, the Hawks needed to be prepared, regardless of James' availability.
They were not, and it led to a brutal beatdown in Los Angeles.
The mini win streak came to an end. In a game that felt lopsided from start to finish, the Lakers were able to dictate the tempo and seize control in the second night of their back-to-back.
Atlanta had one of their poorest defensive performances in recent memory on Wednesday night. While some of Los Angeles' made shots came at an unreal level of difficulty, most of them were a direct result of the lack of effort on the defensive end from the away team.
The Lakers played their game. Nothing changed from their usual game plan, but the Hawks simply couldn't handle their constant pick-and-roll sets and wild shotmaking.
If it was going to be a shootout, the Hawks needed their star to match the other team's stars' level of intensity. When it became increasingly clear that Jalen Johnson was going to have a poor shooting night, the realisticness of them stealing a victory appeared dim.
It wasn't just a poor shooting night for Johnson, either. He was getting hunted on the defensive end. If the Hawks want to be taken seriously as an opponent on the road, they need to be able to consistently identify mismatches and commit to an effective form of help defense.
One of the worst halves you'll ever see from Jalen Johnson.
— Zach Langley (@langleyatl) January 14, 2026
Could not finish a single thing at the rim and was constantly getting attacked on the other end.
Lakers are dominating the Hawks, and that's a large reason why.
Johnson's rare struggles leading to a lopsided defeat for Atlanta raises a major question: How are they going to be successful if they have no backup plan?
It's been a great season for their star forward, but it's important to remember that he's still young. In his first real season as the team's top option, there will be growing pains. Wednesday night was a clear example that while he's incredible, he's still flawed.
It's up to Quin Snyder and the rest of the team to figure out how they can still find a way to win when Johnson's having a poor game. Until then, coaches around the league will know that if they're able to control #1, they're able to control the Hawks.
That's not a recipe for success.