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Hawks hope to have new acquisition Bibby in lineup

Feb 19, 2008 - 3:06 PM Atlanta (21-28) at LA Lakers (35-17) 10:30 pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Ticker) - The Atlanta Hawks will see if their new addition can turn around their woes on the road.

The Hawks will hope to have Mike Bibby in the lineup when they start a five-game West Coast road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.

Falling seven games under .500 following its fourth straight loss at Charlotte on Wednesday, Atlanta (21-28) acquired the former All-Star from Sacramento on Saturday for Anthony Johnson, Shelden Williams, Tyronn Lue, Lorenzen Wright and a second-round pick in 2008.

Missing the first 36 games of the season due to thumb surgery, Bibby is averaging 13.5 points and 5.0 assists in 15 games. The 10-year veteran should provide a strong second scoring option from outside behind All-Star Joe Johnson, who leads the Hawks with 20.6 points.

Bibby should also benefit the young Atlanta squad with his vast playoff experience, as the Hawks sit just percentage points out of the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. The franchise has not been to the postseason since 1999.

If it is to end its playoff drought, Atlanta will need to figure out how to win on the road. It has dropped its previous five road games prior to the All-Star break and is 6-17 away from home on the season.

The matchup with the Lakers may provide the perfect opportunity for the Hawks to claim a road win, as superstar guard Kobe Bryant is banged up.

Bryant, who is second in the league in scoring with 28.0 points, aggravated his dislocated pinkie finger while scoring 29 points in Wednesday's 117-92 win at Minnesota.

Opting to forgo surgery, Bryant plans on playing through the injury, which limited him to less than three minutes in Sunday's All-Star Game.

One player who Los Angeles may need to lean on more due to Bryant's injury is Pau Gasol, who is averaging 20.5 points and 8.3 rebounds in six games with the Lakers since being acquired from Memphis.

Los Angeles has won its last four games, and is 5-1 since adding Gasol to the lineup.