Joe Johnson scores 25, Crawford adds 18 as Hawks breeze past Lakers 109-92

Johnson scores 25 to lead Hawks past Lakers 109-92

ATLANTA — Joe Johnson scored 25 points, Jamal Crawford paced another dominating performance by the Atlanta bench and the Hawks handed Los Angeles its second straight loss, breezing past the Lakers 109-92 Wednesday night.

Kobe Bryant scored 28 points but only eight in the second half as Los Angeles lost back-to-back games for just the fourth time this season. The Lakers won twice on a five-game road trip and missed a chance to possibly clinch the Pacific Division title before heading back home.

The Hawks, who came into the night tied with Boston for the third seed in the Eastern Conference, won their ninth straight at home — their longest such run since a 20-game streak at the old Omni during the 1996-97 season.

Johnson hit five 3-pointers but the bench did the best work. The always-reliable Crawford scored 14 points, Maurice Evans had 18 and the Hawks reserves outscored the Lakers bench 48-22, also getting a double-double from Zaza Pachulia.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.