Luka Doncic returned to the lineup and scored 32 points in helping the Los Angeles Lakers extend their winning streak to six games with a 124-114 win over the host Atlanta Hawks on Monday.
The win broke Atlanta’s four-game winning streak, as well as its three-game home court winning streak against the Lakers.
Doncic missed Sunday’s game against Detroit with low back tightness but returned for the second night of the back-to-back. He was 11-for-22 from the field and 7-for-7 from the foul line, with eight rebounds and 10 assists. Doncic scored eight points fewer than his league-leading average of 40.1 points.
The Lakers played without Austin Reaves (illness), who scored a season-high 43 points in a win over the host Pistons on Sunday. But Sandro Mamukelashvili knocked down five 3-pointers and scored a season-high 23 points. Los Angeles teammate Walker Kessler, an Atlanta native, collected 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Atlanta had cut its deficit to four points with less than four minutes left when Mamukelashvili made a pair of free throws to quell the threat. The Hawks’ Dyson Daniels scored on a floater with 3:30 to go, but Doncic made a layup and Atlanta never got closer than six the rest of the game.
The Hawks were led by CJ McCollum, who came off the bench to score 21, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, who scored 20. Onyeka Okongwu scored 16 points with nine rebounds,
Sparked by a couple of 3-pointers from Okongwu, the Hawks jumped out to a 19-11 lead. The Lakers, with Doncic scoring nine points in the first quarter, went on a 23-5 run and took a 41-27 lead.
Los Angeles continued to build its advantage. Led by the inside presence of Kessler, who had 15 first-half points, and reserve Collin Sexton, who energized the team with 12 points, Los Angeles was ahead 68-57 at halftime.
The Hawks shot 12-for-24 in the third quarter and closed the gap to three points, only to see Doncic score late to give the Lakers a 95-90 lead going to the fourth quarter.
