Luka Doncic dropped 32 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds last night, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to their sixth straight victory with a 124-114 defeat of the Atlanta Hawks. This dude is absolutely on fire, pushing the Lakers to a dominant 10-2 record and straight to the top of the Western Conference.
Doncic Is On Another Level, Lakers Rolling
Seriously, Doncic is playing out of his mind. Beyond the 32 points, he stacked up 5 steals and 2 blocks against the Hawks. The most insane part? He is averaging 40 points per game so far this season. Forty points! That’s just wild, and it is the main reason the Lakers are looking like the team to beat right now. Coach J.J. Redick had to lean on Doncic heavy last night, especially with Austin Reaves out sick and Quentin Grimes sidelined with an injury, saying Luka “had to be on the ball a lot and that was taxing.” But did it slow him down? Nope. Redick noted how well he handled it.
It wasn’t just the Luka show either. The Lakers got huge support, especially from Sandro Mamukelashvili, who came off the bench for an eye-popping 23 points, including five three-pointers. Redick called it Mamukelashvili’s “best game as a Laker.” Walker Kessler added 21 points, Collin Sexton chipped in 18, and Ziaire Williams contributed 12. Sexton also got a shout-out from Redick for “giving us some juice.” The Hawks, now 7-5, just couldn’t keep up with this offensive firepower.
Wemby and the Spurs Are Hot on Their Heels
But hold up, the Lakers are not just cruising in the West alone. The San Antonio Spurs are right there, breathing down their neck, extending their own winning streak to nine games! They blew out the Phoenix Suns 122-96 on the road, improving to an impressive 9-2. And who is leading that charge? None other than Victor Wembanyama.
This kid is an absolute monster. Just last week he hit a career-high 52 points, and he followed that up by dropping another 40 points last night against the Suns. He wasn’t just scoring either, adding 11 rebounds, 8 blocks, and 3 assists. Spurs coach Mitch Johnson is clearly thrilled, saying “There’s a lot of good going on obviously.” He credited Wembanyama for “allowing the game to unfold naturally” and letting his teammates utilize him. The Western Conference is going to be a battle all year with these two phenoms.
Around the League
Elsewhere in the NBA, some other teams are making moves. The Detroit Pistons improved to 7-3 after beating the Washington Wizards 122-111, thanks in part to John Collins’ 24 points. The Memphis Grizzlies are also sitting at 7-3 after their 118-102 victory over the Toronto Raptors. The Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled, taking a 124-112 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Out in Houston, the Rockets managed to halt their two-game losing streak with a 110-100 win over the Denver Nuggets. Jamal Murray poured in 38 points for Denver, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Rockets, who got 23 points from Kevin Durant and 20 from Alperen Sengun.
The Western Conference race is already heating up with these two squads absolutely tearing it up. Who’s going to blink first? It’s going to be wild to watch how this unfolds as the season rolls on.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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