On the one hand, the Lakers definitely played a better game Friday in Atlanta. They got some buckets, showed some energy and generally speaking put in a professional effort. LeBron James and Anthony Davis were both excellent, and some supporting players stepped up as well. 

This should be the standard, of course, but anyone who has watched the Lakers of late knows it's not one they've consistently met. 

And in the end, the Lakers still lost, 134-132 in overtime. 

This one will leave a mark, not simply because the Lakers wasted nearly 80 points between Davis and James, but because they truly dug their own graves in this game. The late game execution, a relatively persistent problem for this team throughout the season, was absolutely catastrophic in Atlanta. A death by 1,000 cuts (compacted into a few minutes of basketball). Silly fouls, missed screens, confused coverages and so on. 

And in the end, that's what did them in. 

So yeah, it was a better game than what happened in Miami...  but for most fans, likely more frustrating. A missed opportunity to change the vibes around the group, for sure. 

HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky

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