“It felt good to be back home and actually get on the court,” said Hawks rookie guard Tyler Dorsey. “All my family and everybody came.”
Dorsey, a native of Pasadena, was drafted as the 41st overall pick of the 2017 draft. He has been averaging 2.5 points after playing 12 games with the Hawks.
On Sunday, he scored six points and two assists after being on the court for nine minutes. Dorsey is a product of Maranatha high school and was coached by boys’ basketball head coach Tim Tucker. Dorsey recalled Tucker teaching him to “play with tenacity” back in his high school days.
“He helped me a lot with development, with my whole game,” Dorsey said. “He’s a defensive coach, so I learned a lot on the defensive end from him.”
Dorsey helped the Minutemen to a Division 4A Southern Section Championship in 2015 and helped the Oregon Ducks to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament before going pro.
The Lakers ended their nine-game skid by defeating Atlanta 132-113. Forward Brandon Ingram once again led the team with 20 points, one of eight Lakers to reach the double digits. Guard Lonzo Ball led the team with 10 rebounds.
“They scored 113 [points], but I was still happy with the defense that we played,” said Lakers head coach Luke Walton. “it was good to kind of see the guys get back to that mode where defense anchors what we do offensively.”
The Hawks reached a 10-2 run in the first four minutes of the game with Dennis Schroder leading the offense. Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle kept the Lakers in the game, making eight and six points respectively.
The tempo of the game sped up, with Brook Lopez and Hawks J. Collins making two blocks each. Lopez but forth a powerful defensive effort with four steals and two blocks in the contest. The Lakers had scored 12 fast break points in the first quarter.
“Brook (Lopez) did a great job starting off with upside defense, [and] blocked shots,” said forward Larry Nance Jr.
Los Angeles started the second quarter with a 20-3 run in five regulated minutes. Lonzo Ball helped move the ball and scoring three-pointers, earning eight points in the first half. Clarkson scored his first 10 points without missing and finished the night with 18 points. He was 7 of 10 from the field and three of four from beyond the arc.
“We helped one another,” said guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. “We rebounded the ball, and we got out in transition.”
Guard Dennis Schroder also kept his shot, scoring six points in the final minute of the second quarter. He finished the half with 18 points.
The Lakers frontcourt scored early in the second half. Ingram made a block to score a back-door dunk. Randle got a dunk of his own and Lopez landed a three-pointer. Guard Kent Bazemore began connecting shots, scoring 10 points halfway through the third quarter. Yet the Lakers remained dominant with Ingram scoring 12 points in that time frame.
Lonzo returned to the court in the fourth, the Lakers scored dunks early. Los Angeles also forced turnovers by collectively making four steals. With 5:33 left in the game, Dorsey was subbed in and scored his first three pointer of the night on the next Hawks possession. Two regulated minutes later, Dorsey sank another perimeter shot.
The Lakers will play the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, January 9 at 7:30P.M.
