Lakers sixth straight win arrived the hard way on a back-to-back. One night after Austin Reaves scored 43 points without Luka Doncic in Detroit, the roles flipped in Atlanta. Doncic returned from low-back tightness with 32 points, 10 assists, eight rebounds and five steals, and the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-114 on Monday at State Farm Arena. Reaves sat out with an illness. Quentin Grimes was also out with a sprained right finger. Los Angeles improved to 10-2.
The Lakers’ current clip of Sandro Mamukelashvili’s scoring burst, above, matches a night when the bench had to cover for two missing guards. Coach JJ Redick called it Mamukelashvili’s best game as a Laker.
Luka Doncic’s controlled return
The official box lists Doncic at 11-for-22 from the floor, 3-for-11 from three and 7-for-7 at the foul line in 39:23. He added two blocks and six turnovers. NBC Sports noted that he scored 18 of his 32 points after halftime and finished two rebounds short of a triple-double. That is a complete line, not a replica of his recent 40-point nights, and it was enough to organize a road win on the second night of the trip.
Redick described Doncic as a willing passer who “really controlled the game in a lot of ways.” The coach also said Doncic could have finished with even more assists if teammates had completed the next read when Atlanta sent two defenders to the ball. Walker Kessler’s work in the pocket and a Mamukelashvili pass to Matisse Thybulle for an open three were examples Redick highlighted. The point is distribution under pressure, not a claim that every extra pass was available.
Depth covered for Reaves and Grimes
Reaves’ absence was the new wrinkle after his 43-point performance Sunday in the Lakers’ 121-116 win at Detroit. Grimes suffered the finger sprain in that game. The Los Angeles Times reported that X-rays were negative and that Redick does not expect a long absence, with a possible return as soon as Wednesday in Milwaukee. That is a coach’s expectation, not a confirmed clearance.
Mamukelashvili scored 23 points on 7-for-13 shooting, including 5-for-8 from three, with eight rebounds in 32:16. “Sandro, his best game as a Laker,” Redick said. “Made some big-time plays. I thought the two defensive rebounds he got there in the last few minutes were as big as any play he made all night.” Collin Sexton added 18 points and six assists off the bench. Kessler finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds, his sixth double-double in seven games, per the Times. Ziaire Williams scored 12. Thybulle had six points and three steals.
Redick called the last two games “great examples of next guy up.” He also described the compounding problem of missing players: enough ballhandling, enough rebounding and enough shooting have to be on the floor at the same time. Sexton, Redick said, “checks a lot of boxes” as another available ball handler and scorer. Those comments explain why the Atlanta win was a roster test rather than a simple star return.
How the Lakers created the cushion
Los Angeles led 31-22 after the first quarter and 68-57 at halftime. Atlanta won the third quarter 33-27, then the Lakers closed 29-24 in the fourth. The official team totals show Los Angeles shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 42.9 percent from three (15-for-35), with 19-for-23 free throws. The Lakers scored 52 points in the paint and 17 on the break, forced 19 Atlanta turnovers and recorded 16 steals and six blocks. Both teams finished with 40 rebounds. The Lakers had 30 assists. They also committed 15 turnovers, so the defensive disruption has to be weighed against their own giveaways.
CJ McCollum scored 21 points for Atlanta. Nickeil Alexander-Walker had 20, Onyeka Okongwu 16 points and nine rebounds, and Jalen Johnson 15 points and seven rebounds. Dyson Daniels supplied 10 points, six rebounds, eight assists and four steals. The Hawks shot 45 percent overall and 39 percent from three, with 20 fast-break points. Los Angeles never turned the game into a track meet it could not finish, but it also did not lock Atlanta down for 48 minutes. The 10-point final margin looks comfortable only after the Lakers answered Atlanta’s third-quarter push. That response, as much as the first-half cushion, is why the winning streak reached six.
What the streak does and does not prove
A six-game winning streak and a 10-2 record are the verified standings facts. The more useful basketball takeaway is that the Lakers have now won consecutive games while missing a different star each night. That is evidence of usable depth. It is not proof that the same rotation will be available in Milwaukee, or that Doncic’s back issue and Reaves’ illness are fully behind them. Wednesday’s official injury report has not been submitted yet.
Redick also praised Jake LaRavia’s less visible work and said he wants players to show emotion without losing their composure. “Every game is going to present a different challenge,” he said. “That’s why every game you learn something new and you hopefully grow from whatever you learn.” The next challenge is already on the calendar: a visit to the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday at 5 p.m. PST. Doncic, Reaves and Grimes should all be checked again on the official report before that game. Until then, Monday stands as a verified road win in which the Lakers shot efficiently, protected the paint and got 23 points from a reserve who had to play starter-level minutes.
Notes and conflicts
- Shooting splits. Some roundups describe the Lakers as shooting “43 percent” from three. The official box is 15-for-35, which is 42.9 percent.
- Grimes. A possible Wednesday return is Redick’s outlook after negative X-rays, not a completed medical clearance.
- Doncic’s back. He played 39 minutes in his return. No restriction was announced in the sources reviewed here, and none should be invented for Milwaukee.
- Names. At least one recap misspelled Reaves. The official box and the Lakers’ usage are followed here.
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