The Lakers kept rolling Monday night in Atlanta, and they did it without a full deck. Austin Reaves sat out with an illness, Quentin Grimes missed the game with a finger issue, and head coach JJ Redick still watched his team grind out another win on the second night of a back-to-back.
Luka Doncic was back after missing Sunday’s game against the Detroit Pistons because of back tightness, and he immediately resumed running the show. He led the Lakers with 32 points, but the box score only tells part of the story. Doncic also piled up 10 assists, eight rebounds, five steals and two blocks, giving Los Angeles the kind of all-around impact that has made him look like the best player in the NBA right now.
The Lakers are 10-2 and sitting atop the Western Conference, ahead of the Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs, who are both 8-2. Doncic’s ability to control games on both ends has been a huge reason why.
Another big piece of the night was Walker Kessler, who keeps carving out a bigger role as one of the most reliable players on this new-look roster. The 25-year-old center finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal, giving him his third straight double-double and his sixth of the season. Even more striking: all six of those double-doubles have come in the last seven games.
That kind of steady production matters, especially when the Lakers are missing scoring options. Kessler helped keep the pressure on Atlanta and gave the team a strong two-way presence inside.
The bench also delivered in a major way. Los Angeles got 49 points from its second unit, with Sandro Mamukelashvili scoring 23 and Collin Sexton adding 18. The pair combined for eight made three-pointers and helped the Lakers cover for the absences of Reaves and Grimes.
The win was Los Angeles’ sixth straight, and the rest of the Western Conference is piling up streaks too. The Spurs have won eight in a row and were chasing nine against the Suns, the Warriors were going for eight straight against the Pelicans, and the Thunder and Timberwolves had each won four consecutive games.
The Lakers may look like the conference’s hottest team, but the chase at the top is crowded.
Next up, the road trip continues Wednesday in Wisconsin, where the Lakers will try to make it seven in a row against the Milwaukee Bucks, who are 1-9 and sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
In Other News...
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Smith also made clear he recognizes James place in the game, calling attention to his greatness and saying he wants to move past the disagreement as the end of James career draws closer. For a rivalry that had become as much about public posture as basketball, the shift matters because it suggests the noise around LeBron may finally be giving way to something closer to closure, even if one lingering detail still hangs over the story. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Reaves Turned A Heated Lakers Moment Into Something Detroit Hated
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One of the more memorable moments came on a banked-in three-pointer that Reaves said had a little of Doncics flavor to it, which fit the strange rhythm of the night. The Lakers got the result they wanted in Detroit, and then Doncic came back in the next game against the Hawks to help lead another win, giving the team a quick reminder of how dangerous it can be when its stars and supporting pieces are both rolling. [Read more 🡒]