The Atlanta Hawks have had a habit of barely showing up against some of the NBA's better teams, a trend that was readily apparent their last time out against perhaps the league's most talented squad.

As long as they're playing at Staples Center, the Los Angeles Lakers certainly belong in that same upper echelon.

The Hawks open a five-game trip Tuesday night against the Lakers, who return from their own lengthy road swing looking to win for a 12th time in 14 home games.

It seemed like Atlanta's penchant for wilting against better opponents was a thing of the past after consecutive wins over Indiana and Orlando last week, but it lost 107-87 to visiting Miami on Sunday in a game in which it trailed by as many as 32.

The Hawks (18-10) have 13 wins against sub-.500 opponents by an average of 15.1 points, but the loss to the Heat was something all too familiar for coach Larry Drew's team. Atlanta's nine losses to clubs with winning records have come by an average of 13.1 points, and it's fallen behind by at least 20 in its last five defeats overall.