ATLANTA -- The Atlanta Hawks won their first three games by an average of 19.3 points and outscored their opponents 90-47 in the fourth quarter.None of the victims made the playoffs a year ago, though, and that will be the case again Wednesday night as the Hawks host the Los Angeles Lakers.In fact, the Hawks dont face a team that had a winning record last season until they play the defending NBA champion Cavaliers at Cleveland on Nov. 8 in their seventh game and only six times in the first 19 games do they play a 2016 playoff team.The Hawks, who won their first three games by double digits for the first time since moving to Atlanta in 1968, are taking advantage of their soft early schedule so far and done it with defense, especially in the fourth quarter.The Sacramento Kings were the most recent victim, being outscored 27-14 in the final period of Mondays 106-95 loss after taking the lead with a 37-point third quarter.The Hawks, who havent allowed 100 points in any game this season, had five of their 11 steals in the decisive quarter and center Dwight Howard swatted away two of his four blocked shots.Atlanta has been tenacious defensively under coach Mike Budenholzer and now the Hawks have a rim protector after signing Atlanta-native Howard as a free agent.We have a lot of great individual defenders on this team and we have a great team concept, veteran guard Kyle Korver said. As long as we stay in that, we have the potential to be a great defensive team.Howard has blocked 10 shots in the Hawks three victories and is averaging 12.3 rebounds despite playing limited minutes while battling foul issues in the blowout win at Philadelphia on Saturday.The Hawks are also getting stellar defense off the bench from veteran Thabo Sefolosha, who had four steals against the Kings and chased down Rudy Gay from behind to knock the ball away in the fourth quarter.We made some big plays down the stretch, Budenholzer said. I thought the Thabo chase down and knock away, thats a winning play that we need. Those plays become critical to you.The game against the Lakers will be first of two for Howard against one of his former teams in four days. The Hawks host the Houston Rockets on Saturday.The Lakers (1-3) are finishing a four-game trip after falling 115-108 to the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night for their 16 straight road loss dating to last season.The Lakers have used the early season trip for some bonding, with the teams veterans and many young players spending time with each other.They hang out together and are interacting together, coach Luke Walton told the Los Angeles Daily News. Its not a separated group. The vets are doing a good job of helping bring along some of the young guys.The Lakers came from 16 points down in the second quarter to take a fourth-period lead at Indiana, but Paul George scored the Pacers final 12 points in a 30-point outing.When youre at home, you have the crowd behind you. You play with a lot more confidence, Walton said. When youre on the road, its just our group in the building. Its up to us to produce our own energy and its up to us to be so mentally locked in that we can withstand their run and the energy theyre getting from their crowd.The Hawks won the last three games with the Lakers, whose last victory was 114-109 in Atlanta on Nov. 18, 2014.The game against the Lakers will be the first for the Hawks since the team and the City of Atlanta announced Tuesday an agreement in principle for a $192.5 million renovation of Philips Arena, which opened in 1999. The deal would bind the Hawks to downtown Atlanta through 2046. Wholesale Rangers Jerseys . Tracey comes to the Blue Bombers after spending over a decade with Queens University. Most recently he was the schools assistant football coach. Cheap Rangers Jerseys .com) - The Edmonton Oilers and Vancouver Canucks both take aim at their first wins of the season on Saturday, as the Canucks open their home slate at Rogers Arena. http://www.cheapnewyorkrangersjerseys.com/ . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Cheap New York Rangers Jerseys . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has called for an aggressive approach from the team on the eve of the first ODI against Afghanistan.We want to play all-out aggressive cricket, Mashrafe said. We want to begin like we had finished last year. We sometimes have to play defensively, but we want to play our best cricket.Mashrafe, however, was wary of Afghanistan, who had defeated BCB XI by 66 runs in the warm-up match on Friday.Why shouldnt we think of this as a tough series? We should keep that in mind when taking the field on Sunday, he said. We will do well if we can carry the confidence that we built through training in the last two-and-a-half months. Coach Chandika Hathurusingha felt that the long gap between international matches - one day short of six months - was the major problem for his team. He also believed that the first hour of the first ODI would be vital in shaking off the rust.The main focus is to win the three ODIs against another national team, he said. Not playing for a long time is a bit of an Achilles heel for us. That is what we are trying to get over, that uncertainty.The first match is very vital for us. The first hour is vital for us. It is important that we start well, so the focus is all about winning the first game.Hathurusingha was pleased with the skills of the side, but said that playing in front of a large crowd could be a challenge for the players.We have no concern over any skill part - batting, bowling or fielding. It is all about the mental side of the game - getting into the gamee, playing in front of a crowd for your country, he said.ddddddddddddWe played so many practice matches with the top 25 players in the country. You cannot create that atmosphere. Probably, we play a higher level of cricket, but you cannot create that atmosphere of playing another international team.Bangladesh will be without their best bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, who is undergoing rehabilitation after a shoulder surgery. He is set to miss the home series against England too, but is likely to recover for the New Zealand tour at the end of the year.In the absence of Mustafizur, Mashrafe hoped himself, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam would step up.We had the same attack in the 50-over World Cup, he said. We will miss the Fizz, but the ones who are in the team, they have a chance to prove themselves. I think this is our best possible bowling attack.The Bangladesh squad includes uncapped batsman Mosaddek Hossain, who has been a prolific run-getter in domestic cricket. He staked claim for a place in the first ODI by top-scoring for BCB XI on Friday.Mosaddek is in the team on merit, Hathurusingha said. He played very well in first-class and the Dhaka Premier League. We played four to five practice matches and we saw him, and yesterday, he obviously put his hand up. He is really putting pressure on the guys who are in the team, so thats a healthy situation for me and the selectors. ' ' '