the north (Chicago) to the north (Toronto) back to the south

Former Boomers coach Brian Goorjian does not expect Australia to be in Olympic medal contention in Rio de Janeiro, but he believes they can be a realistic gold medal chance at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.Australian basketball seems set to enter a golden era with 2016 No. 1 Draft pick Ben Simmons and fellow first-round draftee Thon Maker adding to whats already a talented roster featuring NBA championship winners Patrick Mills, Aron Baynes, Andrew Bogut and Matthew Dellavedova.However, injuries and personal preferences will see a whole host of Australian stars sitting out when Rio gets underway in August.Dante Exum and Simmons will miss the Olympic campaign, as both are electing to concentrate on getting their bodies right for the 2017 NBA season, while Andrew Bogut is recovering from the left knee injury he suffered in the NBA Finals while playing for Golden State Warriors before he was traded to Dallas Mavericks. Bogut expects to be named in Australias 12-man squad for Rio, but uncertainty remains about his fitness for the Games.They are no doubt going to take a step forward from where they have been, and it is a really exciting time now for Australian basketball, Goorjian, who coached the Boomers from 2001 to 2008, told ESPN.The last two Olympics have been similar for the Boomers [quarterfinals]. I think this team will do better, but a gold or silver medal is still another Olympics away.The thing works in cycles and it looks great on paper, but I do think that there is a process in learning to play together.Goorjian also expects the Rio Olympics to act as a send-off for some of Australias senior players.The Boomers 18-man squad features five players over 30 years of age -- David Anderson (36), Damian Martin (31), Bogut (31), Aleks Maric (31) and Brad Newley (30) -- who are all unlikely to be in contention for 2020 Olympic selection.That group thats there now will be in their last Olympics and then youll have Simmons, Maker and Exum in their prime, Goorjian said. When all of those pieces fall into place there will be an opportunity for a gold medal.Goorjian has spent the past eight years working as a basketball coach in China, after stepping down from the Boomers in 2008, and he says that Australias hard work and deserved successes are being noticed in the rest of the world.If youre in Europe or Asia, everyone is well aware of the progress Australia has made and people are scratching their heads asking what they are doing over there, Goorjian said.Four Australians have featured in an NBA Championship-winning roster in the past three years, with San Antonio Spurs, the Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, and Simmons in June became the third Melbourne-born player in 11 years to be selected with the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft.Being in China, all of the young players are aware of Australian basketball now and all they talk about is Ben Simmons and Thon Maker.Everybody likes to see what Australia has done because its always punching above its weight. 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LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers have the NBAs highest-scoring bench and remarkable balance throughout their roster, as the Atlanta Hawks discovered for the second time this month.Just 18 games removed from the worst season in franchise history, the Lakers are capable of handling the absence of two injured starters without a hitch.Lou Williams scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Jordan Clarkson added 18 points and the Lakers beat the Hawks 109-94 on Sunday night without DAngelo Russell or Julius Randle.Nick Young scored 17 points as the Lakers swept their season series with Atlanta in a confident performance that featured 10 players getting significant minutes and eight players scoring at least seven points. That prolific group of reserves piled up 65 points, but coach Luke Walton was more pleased by its shutdown work in an 18-2 run shortly before halftime.The energy that the second unit brought on the defensive end in the second quarter changed the outcome of that game, Walton said. Its what weve been preaching all year, but it was really the first time that we saw all five guys on the court talking defensively. ... I think we carried the momentum through from that point on.Kent Bazemore scored 21 points and Dwight Howard added 19 points and nine rebounds amid constant boos for the Hawks, who have lost five of six after a 9-2 start to the season.Its not going to happen overnight, but we showed signs of being able to do it, Bazemore said. Thats the task for us now. I understand the ups and downs of it, and its all about staying positive, staying together. Everybody knows we have the team and the personnel to get it done.The Lakers won at Atlanta 123-116 earlier this month, with Williams scoring 16 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter in his home state against his former team. In the rematch, the Hawks couldnt match their strong start during the second half when the Lakers rolled out their depth.Its no longer a stroll through LA, Bazemore said. Theyre playing well. Theyve got a ton of pieces, and they all fit well together.UNCLE P RRETURNSRandle missed his third game with a hip pointer, and Russell is out for at least two weeks to rest a sore left knee.dddddddddddd But Young returned to the lineup after missing Fridays loss to Golden State with a sprained toe, and he immediately made another big impact in his resurgent season.Young scored 12 points in the second quarter, hitting three of his four first-half 3-pointers while the Lakers swiftly turned a 13-point deficit into an 11-point lead.BOOING DWIGHTAlthough Howard wore a new uniform, he constantly received the same vociferous disdain that will follow him at Staples Center for his entire career. The big center spurned the Lakers in free agency in 2013 after one tumultuous season alongside Kobe Bryant, taking $20 million less than Los Angeles offered him and signing with Houston.Howard scored 13 points in the first quarter, but made little impact afterward.I didnt hear boos, Howard claimed. I closed my ears.GETTING IT TOGETHERLos Angeles (9-9) won for just the second time in six games during a brutal part of its schedule. The Lakers have a weird road swing with four games in five nights starting Tuesday.We are going from the south (New Orleans) to the north (Chicago) to the north (Toronto) back to the south (Memphis), Walton said. It makes zero sense.TIP-INSHawks: Bazemore spent 23 games with the Lakers late in the 2013-14 season after a trade with Golden State. He left as a free agent for Atlanta. ... Atlanta made its third stop on a five-game road trip.Lakers: The club celebrated the 100th birthday of late broadcaster Chick Hearn with tributes throughout the game. ... Los Angeles played its 10th home game in the first 33 days of the season. The Lakers only have three home games in the next 27 days before a Christmas meeting with the Clippers. ... Thomas Robinson had a season-high nine points in his first start for the Lakers.UP NEXTHawks: At Golden State on Monday.Lakers: At New Orleans on Tuesday. ' ' '