The Los Angeles Lakers have not performed as well as they had hoped this season, with a record of 24-26 and a ninth-place seed in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately for the Lakers, they've had to cope with a slew of injuries this season, including Anthony Davis' comeback after a month-long absence and LeBron James' current absence due to a knee injury.

The Los Angeles Clippers are now leading the Atlanta Hawks 71-62 in Atlanta. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, the Lakers shot 30-42 from the field in the first half of the game, which is the best shooting percentage in a half in the NBA this season.

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This is noteworthy coming from the Lakers, who have struggled at times, particularly on the attacking end of the court. Their defense hasn't been outstanding this season, but their offense has struggled, and they've failed to put the ball in the hoop on several occasions when LeBron James isn't on the court.

Los Angeles should gain confidence heading into the second half of the season if they can pull off a close win over a strong Atlanta Hawks team. They definitely need to make some moves before the end of the year if they want to achieve the kind of success they were aiming for, and that's precisely what they'll do.

Malik Monk leads the Lakers in scoring with 19 points, while Anthony Davis is second with 18.