The Los Angeles Lakers opened up their five-game road trip on a sour note as they put up a dreadful performance against an undermanned Atlanta Hawks team.
While the Lakers were shorthanded themselves, it was no excuse to show up so flat against a Hawks team that had been struggling up to that point. Los Angeles continued its road trip on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets who also ruled out a few key players including star LaMelo Ball.
The Lakers weren’t in position to overlook another team missing players, but it looked like they might be in for another disastrous evening as their defense was non-existent in the first quarter. The Hornets scored 40 points, something that head coach JJ Redick couldn’t have been pleased about.
L.A. went into halftime with a lead, but something finally clicked as they looked more like the team they’ve been to start the 2025-26 season. The Lakers turned up the attention to detail and effort on both ends of the floor and came away with a solid 121-111 victory over the Hornets.
Luka Doncic has been on an offensive tear and is making an early case for MVP with all the huge numbers he’s been putting up. The Hornets defense was Doncic’s latest victim as he had no problem getting off any shot he wanted.
With L.A. struggling to get their own stops, Doncic was forced to keep the offense afloat and he delivered with an array of 3-pointers and crafty shot making. No matter what Charlotte threw at him, Doncic was able to create room to get shots off and the purple and gold were able to stave off their comeback.
Doncic somehow kept his scoring average intact as he recorded a game-high 38 points to go along with seven assists, six rebounds and one steal in 38 minutes.
Austin Reaves finally returned to the lineup after missing the past few games with a groin strain and he looked like himself on the floor. Reaves settled back into his role as the secondary playmaker behind Doncic, but also had his fair share of individual offensive possessions to wow the crowd.
Reaves was effective and efficient as usual, scoring 24 points as well recording seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.
During that third quarter, Rui Hachimura had an impressive run with 13 points to extend the lead and he wound up finishing with 21 on 9-of-12 shooting.
What’s next for the Lakers
The Lakers continue their road trip with a highly-anticipated matchup on Wednesday against the defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder. They’ll then take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday in their second group play game of the Emirates NBA Cup.
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