Sluggish Lakers trounced by short-handed Hawks to end winning streak

Sluggish Lakers Trounced by Short-Handed Hawks to End Winning Streak

Luka Doncic tallied 22 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds in only 27 minutes, but the Lakers fell 122-102 to an Atlanta Hawks squad missing four starters.

Lakers' Struggles Against Depleted Hawks

Before the game, Lakers coach JJ Redick emphasized the importance of not underestimating the short-handed Hawks, who were without four starters and five key rotation players.

“Definitely” an emphasis to his team, said Redick of not overlooking the depleted Hawks.

Despite the Lakers starting the season strongly without star forward LeBron James in any game and missing other important players for three of their first 10 games, the team failed to match the effort they’d shown so far.

Game Performance and Key Moments

Within the first two minutes, Redick noticed a lack of energy and focus from his players, which contributed to the loss to the undermanned Hawks, marking the start of the Lakers’ five-game road trip.

The defeat ended the Lakers’ five-game winning streak and dropped their overall record to 7-3, with their first road loss of the season after going 4-1 away from Crypto.com Arena.

“Just not a lot to like [on Saturday night],” Redick said.

Player Contributions and Issues

Luka Doncic led with 22 points, including 4 of 10 on three-pointers, alongside 11 assists and five rebounds in 27 minutes.
Doncic also committed five of the team’s 20 turnovers, contributing to the team’s offensive struggles.
Marcus Smart added five points, two assists, and two turnovers in 21 minutes.
Neither Doncic nor Smart spoke to reporters after the game.

Summary: The Lakers’ lack of energy and critical turnovers against a depleted Hawks team ended their five-game winning streak and exposed ongoing team challenges on the road.

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Los Angeles Daily News — 2025-11-09