Los Angeles Lakers at Atlanta Hawks - 12/30/22 NBA Picks and Prediction

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks collide at the State Farm Arena on Friday night.

The Los Angeles Lakers have been in a real slump as they’ve lost five of their last six games overall and they will be hoping to bounce back after getting burned by the Heat in a 112-98 road loss on Wednesday. LeBron James led the team with 27 points, nine rebounds and six assists, Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook scored 15 points each while Troy Brown Jr chipped in with 14 points off the bench. As a team, the Lakers shot 48 percent from the field and 13 of 36 from the 3-point line as they struggled to keep up with the Heat from the start and trailed by as many as 22 points before a late rally kept the final scores respectable. The Lakers were just sloppy with the ball as they finished with 24 turnovers compared to the Heat who committed just five turnovers.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Hawks have been in a bit of a funk as they’ve lost eight of their last 12 games overall and they will be hoping to snap a two-game skid after falling just short to the Nets in a 108-107 loss on Wednesday. Dejounte Murray led the team with 24 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, John Collins added 21 points while Onyeka Okongwu chipped in with 18 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks. As a team, the Hawks shot just 43 percent from the field and eight of 22 from the 3-point line as they scored just 17 points in the third quarter to squander an early 15-point lead, before they rallied in the fourth quarter to come up painfully short in the final seconds.