Hawks continue soft opening to schedule by hosting Lakers

ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks won their first three games by an average of 19.3 points and outscored their opponents 90-47 in the fourth quarter.

None of the victims made the playoffs a year ago, though, and that will be the case again Wednesday night as the Hawks host the Los Angeles Lakers.

In fact, the Hawks don't face a team that had a winning record last season until they play the defending NBA champion Cavaliers at Cleveland on Nov. 8 in their seventh game and only six times in the first 19 games do they play a 2016 playoff team.

The Hawks, who won their first three games by double digits for the first time since moving to Atlanta in 1968, are taking advantage of their soft early schedule so far and done it with defense, especially in the fourth quarter.

The Sacramento Kings were the most recent victim, being outscored 27-14 in the final period of Monday's 106-95 loss after taking the lead with a 37-point third quarter.

The Hawks, who haven't allowed 100 points in any game this season, had five of their 11 steals in the decisive quarter and center Dwight Howard swatted away two of his four blocked shots.

Atlanta has been tenacious defensively under coach Mike Budenholzer and now the Hawks have a rim protector after signing Atlanta-native Howard as a free agent.

"We have a lot of great individual defenders on this team and we have a great team concept," veteran guard Kyle Korver said. "As long as we stay in that, we have the potential to be a great defensive team."

Howard has blocked 10 shots in the Hawks' three victories and is averaging 12.3 rebounds despite playing limited minutes while battling foul issues in the blowout win at Philadelphia on Saturday.

The Hawks are also getting stellar defense off the bench from veteran Thabo Sefolosha, who had four steals against the Kings and chased down Rudy Gay from behind to knock the ball away in the fourth quarter.

"We made some big plays down the stretch," Budenholzer said. "I thought the Thabo chase down and knock away, that's a winning play that we need. Those plays become critical to you."

The game against the Lakers will be first of two for Howard against one of his former teams in four days. The Hawks host the Houston Rockets on Saturday.

The Lakers (1-3) are finishing a four-game trip after falling 115-108 to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night for their 16 straight road loss dating to last season.

The Lakers have used the early season trip for some bonding, with the team's veterans and many young players spending time with each other.

"They hang out together and are interacting together," coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Daily News. "It's not a separated group. The vets are doing a good job of helping bring along some of the young guys."

The Lakers came from 16 points down in the second quarter to take a fourth-period lead at Indiana, but Paul George scored the Pacers' final 12 points in a 30-point outing.

"When you're at home, you have the crowd behind you. You play with a lot more confidence," Walton said. "When you're on the road, it's just our group in the building. It's up to us to produce our own energy and it's up to us to be so mentally locked in that we can withstand their run and the energy they're getting from their crowd."

The Hawks won the last three games with the Lakers, whose last victory was 114-109 in Atlanta on Nov. 18, 2014.

The game against the Lakers will be the first for the Hawks since the team and the City of Atlanta announced Tuesday an agreement in principle for a $192.5 million renovation of Philips Arena, which opened in 1999. The deal would bind the Hawks to downtown Atlanta through 2046.