Hawk soars for career-high 26
Lathan has another double-double in fifth straight win
Juaquin Hawkins tossed in a career-best 26 points Saturday night, leading the Los Angeles Lightning to a 140-114 pro basketball victory over the Nevada Pride. Hawkins, a Long Beach State product who played for the Houston Rockets, also grabbed 10 rebounds in the IBL game at Cal Lutheran.
Trayvon Lathan led L.A. with 31 points, 14 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. The 6-8 guard hit 10-of-13 shots in the first half and scored 23 points as the Lightning built a 73-51 advantage.
It was the fifth straight double-double for Lathan, a high-flying 6-8 guard, and his eighth of the year.
Billy Knight scored 21 off the bench and Fred Vinson had 18 points, including a half-dozen 3-pointers, as the Lightning (11-2) won their fifth straight. Kamran Sufi had a game-high 11 assists.
Dajuan Tate topped the Pride with 28 points, Giyoh Shea had 23 and Lorenzo Davis had a double-double for the second straight night with 19 points and 22 rebounds, including 10 offensive.
The Lightning started fast with Lathan tossing in 16 in the first quarter, which ended with the home team ahead 35-23. L.A. outshot the Pride 51.8 to 40.2 percent for the game.
Hawkins, a 6-7 left-hander who’s known as “Hawk”, knocked down 12 of 18 from the field.
“We’re just trying to improve,” said Hawkins, who survived a stroke two years ago on New Year’s Eve in Australia . “We’ve got the playoffs coming up and Edmonton is going to be a good team to play.
“I feel good out there,” added Hawkins. “Wow, I played 37 minutes? That’s a lot of minutes, especially for a 36-year-old. I made a personal challenge to play harder than I did last night (Friday) and it was good that I was able to do that.”
After the stroke, Hawkins’ right side was completely numb and he had to learn how to talk again. Doctors said he’d never play ball again but he proved them wrong.
A movie is planned about Hawkins’ life, called “Seeds of Hope,” and he says production is set to start in September. “It’s going to be a big deal, hopefully like ‘The Blind Side.’ "
“Just because you have an illness or hardship, it doesn’t mean your life is over,” Hawkins stated.
The Lightning finish up their regular-season home schedule with benefit games on June 18-19 at Royal and Agoura Highs, respectively. The games are fundraisers for the schools' athletic programs.
L.A. will play its final four games on the road, starting with a three-game trip at the Edmonton Energy in Canada on June 25-27.
