Lakers and surprising Hawks both improve to 6-0

11-13-2008 | AP

Two teams are still unbeaten two weeks into the basketball season

Panama Star LOS ANGELES. It's no surprise Kobe Bryant has the Los Angeles Lakers off to a fast start. But few would have expected the Atlanta Hawks to still be unbeaten two weeks into the season. Bryant scored 27 points and the Lakers improved to 6-0 — their best start since opening 7-0 in 2001-02 — with a 106-99 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.

Atlanta beat the Chicago Bulls 113-108 to also improve to 6-0, the Hawks' best start since they won their first 11 games in 1997-98.

"No one expected it but us," said Mike Bibby, who scored 22 points, including a few key 3-pointers to stave off the Bulls. "The only people who can stop us is ourselves."

What's most impressive is the Hawks won on a night when leading scorer Joe Johnson struggled. Al Horford scored a career-high 27 points, grabbed 17 rebounds and blocked six shots to lead the Hawks.

"It shows how deep this team is and we're all unselfish," Horford said. "Not every night is going to be Joe this year like it was previously. Now he has a supporting cast."

In other NBA games on Tuesday night it was: Cleveland 99, Milwaukee 93; Denver 88, Charlotte 80; Utah 93, Philadelphia 80; San Antonio 92, New York 80; Detroit 100, Sacramento 92; and Golden State 113, Minnesota 110, OT. In Dallas, the Lakers found themselves in an unfamiliar place.