Luka Dončić came roaring back to the lineup last night, missing Sunday’s game against Detroit but leading the Lakers to a clutch 124-114 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. Yeah, his insane four-game streak of 40-point nights finally ended, but guess what? The Purple and Gold still bagged their sixth straight win, pushing their record to a blistering 10-2.
Luka’s Playmaking Masterclass When Shots Weren’t Falling
You’d think with Austin Reaves sidelined with an illness, and Luka coming off four straight 40-point explosions, this would be another one-man scoring clinic. Reaves himself dropped 43 points in the Pistons win on Sunday when Luka was out, so the stage was set. But Dončić struggled with his outside shot early, and instead of forcing it, he flipped the switch. He went full facilitator mode, dishing out a crazy eight assists in the first half alone! Atlanta kept collapsing on him, and he just kept finding Walker Kessler for easy looks around the rim, who ended up with a monster 21 points and 10 rebounds. Meanwhile, Sandro Mamukelashvili and Collin Sexton were lights out from deep off the bench, adding 23 points and 18 points respectively. Luka eventually started attacking the lane himself once the threes weren’t dropping, and the Lakers built an 11-point halftime lead. That’s a true superstar move, adjusting on the fly and still controlling the game without needing to drop 40.
Hawks Show Fight, But Luka Closes the Door
Atlanta came into this one red-hot with a four-game winning streak of their own, but the Lakers put an end to that, dropping the Hawks to 7-5. CJ McCollum and Nickeil Alexander-Walker were impressive for Atlanta, putting up 21 and 20 points respectively. The Hawks actually bounced back strong in the third quarter after that rough first half, with a balanced offensive attack. McCollum was hitting from the outside, Dyson Daniels was facilitating, and Alexander-Walker stayed aggressive. Luka, though, was having none of it. He was hitting turnaround jumpers, stepback looks, and multiple threes, just individually brilliant and keeping the Lakers ahead even as the Hawks tried to cut into that deficit. Atlanta wouldn’t quit in the fourth either, with McCollum hitting a jumper and a three to shrink the lead to just four points with under five minutes left. But in the end, the Lakers had Luka Dončić and the Hawks didn’t. He scored in the lane and then found Jake LaRavia for a dunk, finally giving his squad some breathing room and putting Atlanta away for good.
This team is absolutely rolling right now. Up next, the Lakers hit the road for a Wednesday night showdown against the Milwaukee Bucks. Can they make it seven straight? You bet your bottom dollar they’re going to try.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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