Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic (77) attempts a shot against the Hawks’ defense. Doncic had 12 points at the end of the first quarter, but finished with just 22 points. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The Atlanta Hawks are headed to the West Coast for a five-game road trip. Over the weekend, the Hawks managed to win a game over the Lakers and lose a game to the Toronto Raptors.
Atlanta, now 5-5, has had an up-and-down season thus far, but Saturday night spoke volumes about how good this team can be defensively.
In town on Saturday night, Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers, winners of their previous five games, saw overwhelming support from the capacity crowd at State Farm Arena. That didn’t distract the Hawks from grabbing a lead early on and maintaining that advantage for the entire game.
Did I mention that this was a home game for the Hawks? The number of Doncic and Lebron James jerseys outnumbered any singular Hawks player tonight. James wasn’t playing, but the Lakers were not without talented wings. Austin Reaves is in the midst of a career year. He’s averaging 31 points, nine assists, and five rebounds per game. But neither James or Reaves were in the lineup for Los Angeles, and the lack of playmakers was apparent early on.
Doncic is in rare form this season, and he got off to a hot start on Saturday night. He’s averaging 40 points per game in the five games he’s played this season. Against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, a game the Lakers won 118-116, Doncic scored 35 points, dished 13 assists, grabbed nine rebounds, and had five steals. Against the Hawks, the team that drafted him, he scored 12 first-quarter points, including a fadeaway three-pointer.
The Hawks came into this game 1-3 at home, but looked much better at the start of Saturday’s game. Atlanta was without leading scorers Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Kristaps Porzingis, but the offense still flowed somehow. Veteran guard Vit Krejci, forward Muhamed Gueye, and rookie forward Asa Newell were contributing in a big way early on.
Atlanta led by nine points after the first quarter and by 14 points at halftime after point guard Keaton Wallace (14 points, seven assists) connected from deep. Wallace had missed a couple of long jump shots earlier in the game, but without Young, Johnson, and Porzingis in the lineup, he had no choice but to step up. So did Newell (17 points), Gueye (team-high 21 points), and starting center Onyela Okongwu (12 points and eight rebounds). All had solid games on Saturday night.
Atlanta led by as many as 30 points during the game, and their defense was key to the dominant performance.
Dyson Daniels, the team’s most complete player, grabbed eight rebounds to go along with 10 points and a game-high 13 assists. Daniels’s play will be key to Atlanta winning games on the road during the upcoming trip.
The Hawks will be on the road starting on Monday, Nov. 10, when they play the Los Angeles Clippers (10:30 p.m.tipoff). Following a day off, Atlanta will move north to Sacramento to face the Kings and former Hawks point guard Dennis Schroder, who is averaging a team-high seven assists per game and has started all nine games this season.
The road trip will continue with a game in Utah against the much-improved Jazz on Thursday, and will conclude with a game against the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.
Atlanta’s next home game is against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
Atlanta’s next home game is against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
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