Luka Doncic returned from a one-game absence with lower back tightness and scored 32 points with 10 assists, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to a 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. The victory extended the Lakers’ winning streak to six games.
Doncic’s run of scoring 40-plus points ended at four games, but he tied for second on the team with eight rebounds. Lakers coach JJ Redick praised his facilitating.
“Luka again, you know, [was] just orchestrating,” Redick said. “I thought he was really just a willing passer. He ended up with 10 assists … but could have had 15, 16 assists.”
Depth Steps Up Without Reaves and Grimes
The Lakers were without Austin Reaves (illness) and Quentin Grimes (sprained finger on his right hand), who had combined for 55 points and eight assists Sunday in a win over the Detroit Pistons. Their teammates more than covered the absences.
Sandro Mamukelashvili scored a season-high 23 points off the bench and grabbed eight rebounds. Collin Sexton, who took on more ball-handling duties with Reaves out, finished with 18 points and six assists. Lakers center Walker Kessler recorded his third straight double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds, and Ziaire Williams added 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field.
Defense Makes the Difference
The Lakers entered the game ranked No. 21 in the league in defensive efficiency, but they held the Hawks to 114 points, a tick below Atlanta’s 118.6 average. Los Angeles also forced 19 turnovers, well above the Hawks’ average of 14.5 per game. Doncic finished with five steals and two blocks, and he talked about those plays in the locker room more than his scoring.
“I think we can be way better than 21st,” Doncic said. “I think we have the potential for that.”
Doncic Earns Honor and Returns to Scene of Career Game
Earlier Monday, the NBA named Doncic the Western Conference player of the week after he averaged 45 points with a 4-0 record. The game also brought him back to State Farm Arena, where he scored a career-high 73 points in a win over the Hawks on Jan. 26, 2024.
Before the game, Redick described Doncic’s approach to scoring. “To me, he is first a competitor,” Redick said. “You see it in everything he does throughout his daily life and his existence, he just loves competing, and so I think when he gets on a basketball court, that’s — the first priority is to try to win. And he does a great job of figuring out on a night-to-night basis what levers to pull. … It’s not just hunt, hunt, hunt, hunt [to score]. He reads the game.”
The Lakers improved to 10-2 with the win.