LOS ANGELES — Playing without three starters and losing another to injury wasn’t enough to derail the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday.
Guard Dennis Schroder scored 24 points and handed out 10 assists, and center Al Horford added 21 points, guiding the Hawks to a 91-86 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
Reserve guard Shelvin Mack contributed 18 points for Atlanta (52-14).
Atlanta coach Mike Budenholzer rested point guard Jeff Teague and forwards Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll. Shooting guard Kyle Korver started but sustained a broken nose in the second quarter and did not return.
Still, the Hawks had enough to contain the Lakers (17-48).
It took 42 minutes for reserve forward Ryan Kelly to become the first Los Angeles player to reach double figures. Kelly and forward Carlos Boozer each finished with 13 points to lead the Lakers, who fell for the seventh time in eight games.
Atlanta was in front by 16 points in the fourth quarter before the Lakers rallied. A 13-1 surge pulled Los Angeles within 84-80 after the second of back-to-back buckets by Boozer with 1:03 remaining in the game.
After Horford made one of two foul shots, forward Wesley Johnson hit a 3-pointer to slice the Lakers’ deficit to 85-83 with 30.1 seconds remaining.
However, Schroder scored on a drive for a four-point advantage with 13.9 seconds left. Two free throws by former Lakers forward Kent Bazemore, who had 13 points and nine rebounds, made it 89-83 with nine seconds remaining.
Kelly’s 3-pointer with 6.9 seconds left cut the gap to 89-86, but two foul shots by Schroder with 5.3 seconds remaining sealed the decision.
The Lakers trailed by as much as 15 late in the first quarter before making a 17-2 run to tie the score at 25 on a jumper by guard Jabari Brown midway through the second quarter.
The Hawks went up 37-30 after a basket by Horford, but the Lakers closed the gap to 41-38 after a runner by Clarkson ended the half.
By the end of the third quarter, the Hawks increased the margin to 68-58. Eight turnovers to three for the Hawks hurt the Lakers in the third. Overall, Los Angeles committed 22 turnovers to 13 for Atlanta.
NOTES: Lakers G Nick Young will have a CT scan on his troublesome left knee Monday. Young missed his 10th game due to the injury. He was averaging 13.4 point per game before getting hurt. “It’s slow (to heal). They don’t understand why,” said coach Byron Scott, referring to the club’s medical staff. … Atlanta signed F Austin Daye to a 10-day contract, though he didn’t play Sunday. Daye, who played 25 games with the San Antonio Spurs earlier this season, averaged 16 points and seven rebounds for the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. … The Lakers defeated the Hawks 114-109 on Nov. 18 at Atlanta. … The Hawks resume their six-game road swing Monday at the Sacramento Kings. … The Lakers visit the Golden State Warriors on Monday.