Luka Doncic. Image via: Katelyn Mulcahy/ Getty Images
Luka Doncic had five steals and two blocks in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 124-114 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, yet he still wants the team to defend better. He returned after missing Sunday’s game with lower back tightness and finished with 32 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Los Angeles has won six straight and sits at 10-2, but Doncic pointed to the one number he did not like. The Lakers guard did a lot of the damage with his hands, and the team finished with 16 steals, three from Matisse Thybulle and two from Ziaire Williams. Those takeaways turned into 29 points while Austin Reaves (illness) and Quentin Grimes (right finger sprain) sat out. The Hawks hit 17 of 44 from 3-point range and grabbed 12 offensive rebounds to the Lakers’ eight, though those boards produced only eight second-chance points, two fewer than Los Angeles got. CJ McCollum and Aaron Wiggins combined for 36 points off Atlanta’s bench. The Lakers gave up 35 points in the second quarter and 33 in the third. They led by as many as 20 and won by 10. At 10-2 with the 21st-ranked defense, the Lakers are winning on offense and takeaways. 2 to 8. Doncic averaged 45.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 8.3 assists on 52.5% shooting from the field and 39.5% from 3-point range, and the Lakers won all three games he played. He opened with 42 points and 13 assists in a 138-117 win over Miami, then scored 40 in a 116-103 victory at Sacramento. His season-high 53 came in a 124-118 NBA Cup win over Portland, which put him with Elgin Baylor, George Mikan and Kobe Bryant as the only Lakers to score 40 or more in four straight games.
It was the fifth time he has won the award with Los Angeles and the 20th in his career. The Lakers entered Monday ranked 21st in defensive efficiency, a spot he believes is well below what the roster can reach. His own night backed up the point. Los Angeles also blocked six shots, two of them by Doncic. Atlanta still found ways to score. Doncic is asking the rest of the game to catch up. The NBA named the guard Western Conference Player of the Week for games played Nov.
