ONYEKA OKONGWU

LeBron James scored a season-high 47 points on his 38th birthday with many of the sellout crowd at State Farm Arena cheering his every move, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 130-121.

Dejounte Murray scored 25 points, rookie A.J. Griffin came off the bench in Trae Young’s absence to add a career-high 24 and the Atlanta Hawks snapped the Milwaukee Bucks’ season-opening, nine-game winning streak with a 117-98 victory.

Victor Oladipo scored 23 points, Bam Adebayo added 20 points and 11 rebounds, and the Miami Heat moved into the Eastern Conference semifinals by beating the Atlanta Hawks 97-94.

Udonis Haslem started the Miami Heat postseason with an apology.

Cade Cunningham had 28 points and 10 assists, lifting the Detroit Pistons to a 113-110 overtime win over the Atlanta Hawks.

DeMar DeRozan scored 37 points while extending an NBA-record streak, and the Eastern Conference-leading Chicago Bulls squeezed by the Atlanta Hawks 112-108.

Trae Young scored 36 points and the Atlanta Hawks earned their seventh straight win by rallying in the fourth quarter to beat the Los Angeles Lakers 129-121.

Trae Young scored 30 points and the struggling Atlanta Hawks rallied for a 121-114 victory over thee Milwaukee Bucks to snap a 10-game home losing streak.

Anfernee Simons had a career-high 43 points and the Portland Trail Blazers overcame an NBA season-best 56 points by Atlanta’s Trae Young, snapping a four-game losing streak in a 136-131 win over the Hawks.

The Atlanta Hawks proved they are more than a one-man team, shaking off Trae Young’s absence with a freak injury to even the Eastern Conference finals at two wins apiece with a 110-88 rout of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s lengthy free-throw routine might be too long to be legal.

John Collins is set to play a key role for the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals.

Clint Capela scored 18 points to lead seven scorers in double figures and the Atlanta Hawks pulled away late to overcome Devin Booker’s 30 points and beat the Phoenix Suns 135-103.

Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to lead the New York Knicks to a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks.

Trae Young scored 42 points, Clint Capela had 22 points and 10 rebounds, and the Atlanta Hawks overcame a sizzling performance by Zach LaVine to beat the Chicago Bulls 120-108.

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, top, is fouled by Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari (8) as he goes to the basket in the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 1, 2021, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/John Bazemore)ATLANTA – Anthony Davis scored 25 points and LeBron James dominated down the stretch as the Los Angeles Lakers closed out a nearly two-week trip with a 107-99 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. Los Angeles went 5-2 while playing seven road games in 12 days, certainly looking like the fresher team in the closing minutes against the Hawks. AdAtlanta appeared to be taking control, ripping off eight straight points late in the third for a 76-70 lead. ... Los Angeles has won eight of its last nine meetings against Atlanta.

The Minnesota Timberwolves selected Edwards with the first pick in the NBA draft Wednesday, Nov. 18. Tears flowed freely for those and many more players Wednesday night when their long-awaited, months-delayed NBA dreams were finally realized. 1 pick in an NBA draft delayed multiple times because of the coronavirus pandemic. 12 pick Tyrese Haliburton of Sacramento, whose blue, floral suit had the words “Black Lives Matter” on the inside. Duke didn't have a player picked in the first round after having 39 since the league went to a two-round draft in 1989.

The Detroit Pistons have a very important decision to make in the upcoming NBA Draft. And they should draft point guard LeMelo Ball. (They are reportedly interested in doing so)Pistons need a point guardThe Detroit Pistons need a point guard to build their future around. The best bet for the Pistons is to swing hard in the NBA Draft. 1 and draft Ball: “The Timberwolves reportedly want to trade down, and the Pistons reportedly want to trade up with a close eye on Ball, so this makes sense.