Luka Doncic has a history of cooking the Atlanta Hawks - the team that traded him on draft night to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Trae Young.
While both Doncic and Young are now on different teams, it's always a treat when the 27-year-old Slovenian superstar comes to town. He'll lead the Lakers into Atlanta on Monday night for an epic cross-conference battle between two red-hot ball clubs.
Over the last 24 hours, though, the relevancy of this matchup has taken an unexpected hit. Why? Doncic's status for the battle is unknown. He was unable to suit up in their Sunday matchup with the Pistons, and on the second night of a back to back, there's no telling if he'll play or not.
If the Lakers are doing what many are speculating, though, the Hawks must beware. A well-rested Doncic is arguably the best, most dangerous player in the NBA.
Resting a high-usage player on first night of B2B is common practice
With his current usage - guiding his incredible nightly averages of 40.1 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game - Doncic missing time becomes more likely by the day. He's not a superhuman.
He's sure playing like one.
The thing about his early-season dominance, though, is that it's come without much rest. Despite inevitable fatigue, Doncic has been powering through. He's played in nine of their 11 total games, leading his team to a wildly-impressive 9-2 record, good for best in the Western Conference.
Lower back tightness - the injury ruling that kept Doncic out of Sunday's meeting with the Pistons - is nothing to mess around with. If it's legitimate, the Lakers may not want to risk him giving it his all against another team out of their conference.
While it's always fun to see Doncic return to the arena he dropped a career-high 73 points in, maybe it'd be best for both sides if he sat once more.
Hawks must prepare for him to play - they can't afford to get caught off guard
That's when Doncic makes opposing teams pay.
It takes time to properly prepare a defense to counter his league-best offensive attack.
At 27, he's at the peak of his abilities, and it's shown in his production. Atlanta's built a much better defensive squad since he dropped 73 on them in 2024, but still, a performance like that is something a franchise won't ever forget.
Dyson Daniels, Lu Dort and Nickeil Alexander-Walker will have their hands full if Doncic plays Monday. There's no doubt about it.
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