"You can't guard him with one guy," Dyson Daniels said after Luka Doncic's 32-point performance in the Lakers' win over the Hawks.
After four consecutive 40-point nights, Doncic came to Atlanta on Monday night, giving Daniels and company a golden opportunity to slow him down.
Unfortunately for their streak - one that reached four victories in a row on Saturday against the Nets - even the team with the most elite group of perimeter defenders in the league wasn't enough to contain the red-hot Lakers.
Doncic is a man on a mission - Daniels understood that going in
"He's gonna get to his stepback, which he's shooting like 40% on this year, and he's really good at getting in the lane and getting fouls. So it's a team effort. We've got to be there for each other," Daniels said.
Atlanta's defensive ace read Doncic like a book. In all fairness, it's something he's been doing for awhile.
In 2025-26 - Doncic's first full season in Los Angeles - he went head-to-head with Daniels and the Hawks twice. The teams evenly split their matchups. Doncic, normally good for 30 a night, averaged just over 24 points per game. A step down from normal.
The six-time All-Star will get his, but as long as he's slowed down from his usual production, the opposing team will have a fighting chance. That's how the Hawks stole one from the Lakers last season. Los Angeles, however, looks much different this time around.
Out with the old, in with the new - the new-look Lakers are on fire
"I thought we did a pretty good job on him tonight, but it's the other guys that really hurt us, those big shots that they made," Daniels said.
Even without Austin Reaves - the sixth-year guard averaging over 25 points a night who was out Monday night with an illness - the Lakers found reliable offense outside of Doncic.
With as much defensive attention as he requires, if others are knocking down shots consistently, it's destined to be a long night for the opposing team. Atlanta couldn't afford for the Lakers' role players to catch fire. They did from the jump.
Sandro Mamukelashvili - one of Los Angeles' many offseason additions - finally had his breakout performance in a Lakers uniform. Of course, his full arrival took place in Atlanta.
He and Collin Sexton combined for 41 points off the bench, providing a perfect complement to Doncic's brilliance. It was simply too much for the Hawks to handle.
The good news, however, is that they aren't alone. The Lakers are running through the rest of the league. They entered their meeting with the Hawks at 9-2, and after their tenth win of the season, they remain alone atop the Western Conference standings.
Atlanta has a lot to clean up. While containing Doncic was a great start, they have to prepare for the possibility of others making up for it.
Dyson Daniels told me postgame he thinks they did a good job defending Luka Doncic tonight as a collective
— Zach Langley (@ZachLangleyNBA) November 10, 2026
Of course, Luka is Luka, but he's not wrong
Obviously things to work on, but guarding a player of Doncic's caliber isn't a one-man effort in the slightest
It's what elite teams do.
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