On January 4, 2025, Beijing time, the Lakers with a record of 19 wins and 14 losses faced off against the Hawks with a record of 18 wins and 16 losses at home. The Lakers were playing back-to-back games, having defeated the Blazers the previous day, but their energy levels were not as high as the Hawks. However, Davis did not play the previous day, so his energy was sufficient. The Lakers' starting lineup was Reeves + Christie + Hachimura + James + Davis, while the Hawks' starting lineup was Trae Young + Daniels + Lissache + Johnson + Capela.
In the first quarter, Davis and Reeves scored 4-0, followed by Trae Young, Lissache, and Daniels scoring 6 points in a row, allowing the Hawks to take a 2-point lead. Hachimura dunked, while Daniels and Johnson added 5 points, making it 11-6 for the Hawks. Davis, James, and Hachimura then responded to take a 1-point lead. Johnson made a mid-range shot, but Davis, James, and Hachimura continued to score, giving the Lakers a 7-point lead. Okongwu and Bogdan scored, but Reeves, Reddish, Milton, and Davis responded, keeping the gap at 7 points. Trae Young hit a three-pointer, James responded with a layup, and Johnson made a 2+1 play. At the end of the first quarter, the Lakers led 31-28.
In the second quarter, Johnson dunked, reducing the gap to 1 point. Hayes made 1 of 2 free throws and James made a layup, giving the Lakers a 4-point lead. Trae Young and Lissache scored, but Knector and Hayes responded, maintaining a 5-point lead. Trae Young made a layup, but Christie and James responded, extending the lead to 7 points. Okongwu and Johnson narrowed the gap to 3 points, but Knector and Davis scored, with Hunter and Daniels trying to catch up, leaving a 5-point gap. Davis continued to score, while Bogdan and Capela tried to close the gap to 3 points. Knector hit a three-pointer, but Johnson responded with a three-pointer, keeping the gap at 3 points. James and Christie went on a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 10 points. Capela made a layup, and at halftime, the Lakers led 65-57.
Davis had 17 points and 11 rebounds in the first half, while James had 14 points and 5 assists. For the Hawks, Johnson had 14 points and 3 rebounds, and Trae Young had 9 points and 6 assists.
In the third quarter, Reeves scored 5 points in a row, giving the Lakers a 13-point lead. Trae Young and Daniels narrowed the gap to 8 points, but James scored 5 points in a row. Trae Young hit a three-pointer and made 3 of 3 free throws, leaving a 7-point gap. Hachimura made a layup, but Johnson made a 2+1 play, reducing the gap to 6 points. Christie made a dunk and Reeves hit a three-pointer, extending the lead to 11 points. Lissache and Daniels narrowed the gap to 6 points, but Davis made 1 of 2 free throws. Okongwu dunked, leaving a 5-point gap. Reeves made 3 of 4 free throws, while Trae Young made 1 of 2 free throws and a layup, keeping the gap at 5 points. Finnis Smith hit a three-pointer and James made a mid-range shot, extending the lead to 10 points. Okongwu dunked and Hunter made 1 of 2 free throws, but Finnis Smith hit another three-pointer, maintaining a 10-point lead. At the end of the third quarter, the Lakers led 96-86.
In the fourth quarter, Reeves made a layup, giving the Lakers a 12-point lead. Johnson made a follow-up dunk, but Finney Smith responded with a layup, keeping the gap at 12 points. Trae Young made a 2+1 play, reducing the gap to 9 points. James then scored 9 points in a row, and although Okongwu and Trae Young scored, the gap was extended to 13 points. After a timeout, Capela dunked, leaving an 11-point gap. Hachimura and Reeves hit three-pointers, extending the lead to 17 points. Trae Young made 2 of 3 free throws, but Christie made a layup, keeping the gap at 17 points. Trae Young made another layup, reducing the gap to 15 points. With over a minute left in the game, both teams withdrew their starters, and the Lakers ultimately won 119-102.
James scored 30 points with 3 rebounds and 8 assists on 13 of 20 shooting, breaking Jordan's record of 562 times scoring 30+ points in the regular season and becoming the new record holder with 563 times. Davis scored 18 points with 19 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks on 6 of 17 shooting. Reeves had 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, Hachimura had 13 points and 8 rebounds, and Knector had 11 points and 3 rebounds.
Trae Young scored 33 points with 9 assists on 10 of 22 shooting, Johnson scored 19 points with 8 rebounds on 8 of 13 shooting, Okongwu had 14 points and 11 rebounds, Daniels had 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, and Capela had 8 points and 7 rebounds. Hunter had an off night, scoring only 3 points with 3 rebounds on 1 of 12 shooting.
After the Lakers' victory, they surpassed the Nuggets, who lost today, moving up to fourth place in the West, while the Nuggets dropped to fifth.