Montgomery County Record, Sun, 07 Nov 2004
(Sports Network) - The Atlanta Hawks play the final contest of their season-opening three-game road trip tonight, as they visit Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center.
The Hawks return home on Tuesday to play their home-opener against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Friday, Atlanta was crushed by the Seattle SuperSonics, 106-85, at
KeyArena. Antoine Walker led the way for the Hawks with 24 points and eight boards. Al Harrington had 14 points on a dismal shooting night (6-of-20) as Atlanta has dropped its first two games of the season.
On the injury front for the Hawks, center Jason Collier (bronchitis) is expected to miss tonight's contest. Collier did not play in the loss to Seattle.
The Hawks, who were a brutal 10-31 on the road last season, are trying to avoid starting 0-3 for the second straight season.
The Lakers fell to the San Antonio Spurs, 105-96, on Friday at the Staples Center. Kobe Bryant had 28 points to lead the Lakers, who have opened the post-Shaquille O'Neal era with losses in two of their first three games. Lamar Odom collected 24 points and 11 rebounds in a losing cause for LA.
LA forward Luke Walton (ankle) is questionable for tonight's game.
After tonight's contest, the Lakers hit the road for a four-game trip. The Lakers will visit the New Orleans Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Orlando Magic and the Houston Rockets.
Last season, the teams splits a pair of games as each club won on its
homecourt. Overall, Atlanta has won three of five and four of the last seven meetings in this series. The road team has won four of the last six contests, while the Hawks have lost 12 of their last 14 as the visitor against the Lakers.