Update (11:07 a.m. ET, Monday): Luka Doncic is no longer listed on the injury report for the Los Angeles Lakers‘ game at the Atlanta Hawks, clearing the way for him to play Monday at State Farm Arena. Doncic had been considered day-to-day with torso back soreness.
The Lakers enter at 9-2 and have won five straight games, a half-game ahead of Golden State atop the Pacific Division. Atlanta is 7-4 and leads the Southeast Division on a four-game winning streak. Tipoff remains set for 7 p.m. ET in the first meeting of the season series.
Doncic leads the Lakers in scoring at 40.1 points per game to go with 7.7 assists, both team highs, giving Los Angeles back its primary offensive option against a Hawks team already missing five rotation pieces.
Lakers Vs Hawks Game Information
- Date: Monday, Nov. 9
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, GA
- TV/Streaming: Spectrum SportsNet, Spectrum SportsNet+
- Series: First meeting of the 2026-27 season
Lakers Outlook With Doncic Cleared
Los Angeles is scoring 121.9 points per game on 50.5% shooting from the field, the top scoring efficiency mark in this matchup. With Doncic no longer on the injury report, the Lakers get back a player averaging 40.1 points and 7.7 assists per game, numbers that had been carried by Austin Reaves and the rest of the rotation during Doncic’s absence. Walker Kessler leads Los Angeles on the glass at 10.9 rebounds per game, and the Lakers’ 6.5 blocks per game remain a strength against an Atlanta frontcourt already down five players. Quentin Grimes is still day-to-day with an arm/finger injury, according to the official injury report.
Los Angeles has turned the ball over 16.1 times a game compared to Atlanta’s 14.5, a gap that could matter against a Hawks team averaging 31.5 assists per game and playing at pace.
Hawks Outlook
Atlanta has won four straight games and sits atop the Southeast Division. The Hawks are shooting 34.9% from three on the season and averaging 118.6 points per game, built around a ball-movement approach that produces 31.5 assists a night. Jalen Johnson anchors the box score at 19.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and a team-high 7.6 assists per game, while Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads the Hawks in scoring at 22.1 points per game.
Atlanta remains without five players: Asa Newell, Keshon Gilbert, Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar are all out. Gueye is not expected back until Nov. 20 and Veesaar’s return date is listed as July 1, 2027, according to the official injury report. Those absences leave Atlanta thin up front against a Lakers team averaging 29.4 defensive rebounds per game.
Key Matchup
With Doncic now available and Atlanta still missing five frontcourt and backcourt players, the matchup to watch shifts to the Lakers’ full offensive attack against a shorthanded Hawks defense. Los Angeles averages 6.5 blocks per game, nearly double Atlanta’s 3.7, and Kessler’s 10.9 rebounds per game give the Lakers an edge on the boards that Atlanta’s depleted frontcourt will have to offset.
Atlanta’s counter remains pace and ball movement. The Hawks’ 31.5 assists per game compared to the Lakers’ 23.5 suggest Atlanta will look to push tempo and generate open looks before Doncic and the Lakers’ offense can fully assert itself.
What To Watch
Los Angeles is trying to extend its winning streak to six games with Doncic back in the lineup, while Atlanta is chasing a fifth straight win despite its injury list. How the Lakers integrate Doncic back into the rotation, and whether Atlanta’s thin frontcourt can contain Kessler and the Lakers’ interior size, are the clearest storylines heading into Monday’s tipoff at State Farm Arena.
For more on the Lakers’ recent form, see the recap of Doncic’s 53-point game against the Blazers and the earlier update on his status in the Lakers-Pistons preview. Los Angeles also beat Miami in a game recapped in Lakers rout Heat 138-117.
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