National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
L.A. Lakers 99, Atlanta 98
When: 9:30 PM ET, Sunday, March 3, 2013
Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #70 Brent Barnaky, #10 Ron Garretson, #42 Eric Lewis
Attendance: 18997
Lakers 99, Hawks 98: Kobe Bryant scored the decisive basket with nine seconds left to cap a 34-point effort and Los Angeles reached the .500 mark by downing visiting Atlanta.

Steve Nash added 15 points and 10 assists and Dwight Howard had 11 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers, who have won 13 of 18 games to reach the break-even mark for the first time since they were 15-15 on Dec. 28.

Al Horford scored 24 points and Josh Smith added 19 for the Hawks. Atlanta’s last opportunity was thwarted when Smith’s pass was intercepted by Los Angeles guard Steve Blake in the final seconds.

The Hawks recovered from a 16-point, third-quarter deficit and the game was close throughout the final quarter. Horford’s dunk with 26.7 seconds left gave Atlanta a 98-97 lead before Bryant drove through traffic to score the go-ahead basket.

Los Angeles possessed a 52-45 halftime lead and expanded its advantage to 65-49 on Earl Clark’s dunk with 7:20 left in the third quarter. Atlanta trailed by six entering the final quarter and caught the Lakers at 80 on Kyle Korver’s jumper with 10:42 remaining.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Bryant has scored 30 or more points 25 times this season. … Horford has scored 20 or more points in nine consecutive games, the best stretch of his career. … Los Angeles was 10-of-21 from 3-point range and has made 26 over its last two games.
Top Game Performances
 
Atlanta   L.A. Lakers
Al Horford 24 Scoring Kobe Bryant 34
Josh Smith 7 Assists Steve Nash 10
Johan Petro 8 Rebounds Dwight Howard 15
Devin Harris 3 Free Throws Made Kobe Bryant 6
Johan Petro 4 Steals Kobe Bryant 2
Josh Smith 3 Blocks Dwight Howard 1
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Atlanta 98 50.0 8-22 8-15 34 36 8 13 15
L.A. Lakers 99 48.7 10-21 13-18 21 43 1 9 21
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Lakers will play their next game on the road against Oklahoma City. The Lakers have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against Denver. The Hawks have a W/L % of .000 after a win and .000 after a loss.