“I’ll be honest with you, I did have one moment in that first half when we had a few possessions we couldn’t score against the zone, it’d be great to have LeBron just to throw it to in the high post,” JJ Redick had said after the Lakers’ opening loss to the Warriors, and he might be feeling the same again tonight. With LeBron still rehabbing and Austin Reaves sidelined, the Lakers fell 122-102 to the Hawks. The unexpected happened for the Lakers. They walked in confident that, if nothing else, their defense would bail them out, especially against a team that barely plays any. But, of course, that’s exactly what didn’t happen.

After the loss, Deandre Ayton didn’t hold back while reflecting on what went wrong. “You know, seeing the counter report on clips they have had in their previous games, you know, that film was not showing the guys out there and, you know, that’s how the NBA is,” he said, hinting at how preparation met reality in the fast-paced game.

The frustration is understandable. After blowing a 13-point lead against the Raptors in a later matchup, the Hawks’ struggles on both ends had been apparent. With their offense sitting 17th and defense 16th in league rankings, Atlanta had yet to find its rhythm. But tonight, they came out of the syllabus for the Lakers, flipping the script.

The Hawks’ defense set the tone early and carried through the night. They came out aggressive, forcing the Lakers into turnovers and tough shots. LA struggled to find rhythm, shooting just 44% in the first quarter, while Atlanta capitalized, building a 37-29 lead by the break. Mouhamed Gueye led the charge with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, adding seven rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and a block.

Every Hawks starter scored in double digits, and the team shot an impressive 51.1% from the floor, converting defensive stops into transition points. Atlanta’s ability to force mistakes and control the paint left the Lakers scrambling, with only Doncic (22 points, 5 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal) and Ayton (11 points, 5 rebounds) making notable contributions.

JJ Redick’s frustration was clear as crystal as he faced the media after the loss. In a brief press conference lasting less than ninety seconds, he delivered sharp, no-nonsense answers before quickly exiting, leaving little doubt about his disappointment. “Just not a lot to like tonight,” he said.

Redick didn’t mince words when reflecting on Atlanta’s effort. “They brought the requisite level of effort and urgency and physicality,” he stated, acknowledging that the Hawks showed up ready to compete while his team struggled to match the intensity.

The loss reflected the Lakers’ difficulties across the board: poor perimeter shooting, sloppy ball movement, and turnovers piled up, leaving Redick visibly displeased. The game was defined by execution, or lack thereof.

Atlanta clicked on all fronts, knocking down 16 threes, racking up 37 assists, and keeping turnovers to a minimum with just 11. The Lakers, meanwhile, struggled to match that rhythm, hitting 12 threes, dishing out 23 assists, but stumbling with 20 turnovers that constantly handed momentum to the Hawks.

Ayton opens up: Lakers’ defensive struggles exposed by Hawks

DeAndre Ayton admitted that the Lakers underestimated the Hawks. “Really, probably leaving those guys underestimated, not keeping those guys in account,” he said. “Forgetting about them that this is the NBA and those are NBA players… I feel like we were just behind the ball a little bit, and they killed us in transition, and they played amazing defense. And we weren’t ready for it, and JJ [Redick] basically got on us about it. Yeah, we ready for the next game.”

The Lakers’ overconfidence was evident, and Ayton’s stats only added to it. Heading into the game, he was averaging 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks on an efficient 65.7% shooting. Defensively, Ayton had flashes of brilliance, especially as a help-side protector, famously holding Spurs’ standout Victor Wembanyama, a DPOY favorite, to 19 points and eight rebounds. His timing for blocks looked sharp, reflected in a 3.9% block rate.

Ayton also discussed how he plans to improve for the Lakers’ upcoming matchup against the Hornets on November 10. “JJ can see the stress on my face and you try to calm me down. But um it was a little frustrating because I’m the last line of defense and like I said they were in our paint and the way how they were moving the ball.”

The paint has been a persistent vulnerability for the Lakers. Ayton struggled on the defensive glass, posting a career-low 18.7% defensive rebounding rate. Even with these mixed signals, the Lakers still stepped onto the court brimming with confidence, perhaps underestimating the Hawks and the challenges that awaited them.

He also praised the Hawks’ unique style of play: “The centers were even driving the ball and the guards cutting. It was the other way around. So, you know, they’re pretty unique in how they were playing. They were running around, doing a lot of cutting and a lot of rebounding. They really wanted that game and it was really the second half that got them the dog.”

The third quarter turned into a nightmare for the Lakers. Early on, Ayton and LaRavia helped shrink Atlanta’s lead to nine, but the Hawks quickly answered with a 7-0 spurt and two long-range shots, stretching their advantage to 20 with over seven minutes left. By the quarter’s end, the gap had swelled to 26. From there, the game was all but lost for the Lakers.