Lakers vs. Hawks Preview: Road trip begins in Los Angeles

The Atlanta Hawks head west for a three-game road trip that starts in Los Angeles for a matchup with the Lakers. Staples Center has been Atlanta's own house of horrors of late with the Hawks having lost seven straight and 21 of the last 24 meetings in LA.

Atlanta comes into the game with a 1-1 record and fresh off of Friday's 102-95 win over the Toronto Raptors. The Lakers are looking to avoid their third straight loss after a surprising win over the Clippers in the opener.

Continued defensive improvement is key for the Hawks who allowed the Mavericks to blister them on opening night to the tune of 57 percent shooting from the field. The Hawks improved somewhat against the Raptors holding them to 46 percent. The Hawks improved on the boards as well and limited Toronto's starting center Jonas Valanciunas to just four points and four rebounds. Pau Gasol is the focal point for the Lakers with Kobe Bryant out but guys like Jodie Meeks and Nick Young can test Atlanta's defense from the perimeter.

Al Horford bounced back from a quiet opener with 22 points and 16 rebounds against the Raptors. Jeff Teague continued his solid start to the season and is averaging 20.5 points and 10.5 assists in Atlanta's two games. The Lakers got a huge lift from their bench in the opening win over the Clippers but have had a tougher go of it in both their losses. Atlanta's bench has been ok through the first two games led by the likes of Cartier Martin, Elton Brand and rookie Dennis Schröder.

Game Info

Game Date/Time: Sunday, November 3, 9:30 p.m. ET

Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California

TV: SportSouth

Radio: 92.9 FM "The Game"