CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — This time, Luka Doncic I had to serve my sentence. Because Doncic didn't make a single half-court shot during pregame warmups, he had to go out onto the court and confront the coaching staff.
The drill apparently gave him the strength he needed for the upcoming two-handed dunk.
Doncic shined with the Lakers victory with a score of 121-111 Monday's win over the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center, scoring 38 points with seven assists, six rebounds and one emphatic dunk in the third quarter, helped the Lakers shake off memories of the blowout loss in Atlanta.
Austin Reeves returned after a three-game absence with 24 points and seven assists. Rui Hachimura scored 21 points on perfect 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range.
Reeves, who left the game with a right groin strain, announced his presence by throwing to Deandre Ayton for the Lakers' first basket. After Charlotte (3-7) outscored the Lakers with eight 3-pointers in the first quarter to take a 40-36 lead, Reaves responded by scoring seven of the Lakers' first 10 points in the second. He gave the team a boost of energy by participating in transition and beating the halftime buzzer to give the Lakers (8-3) a two-point lead.
“He’s an All-Star caliber player,” coach JJ Redick said before the game. “He, like Luca, is an incredibly dynamic striker. I think our depth is increasing, our options in the lineup are increasing, so not having him in the lineup really hurts us a lot.”
The Lakers were 2-1 in games without Reaves, but Saturday's 20-point loss to Atlanta was so startling that Redick was forced to question who his team is. The Lakers looked lifeless. Redick waved the white flag midway through the third quarter after the starting lineup allowed the deficit to 25.
Lakers guard Austin Reaves beat Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges in the first half Monday.
(Chris Carlson/Associated Press)
With Doncic and Reaves back, the Lakers won't repeat their third-quarter woes.
The Lakers started the second half on an 11–4 run, forcing the Hornets to call a timeout. Reeves then fed Hachimura's 3-pointer to push the lead to double digits. Doncic scored on a step-back three to put the Lakers up by 12. Doncic's pass to Hachimura extended the lead to 17.
A powerful two-handed dunk was the exclamation point, stunning the Charlotte crowd as he hung on the rim and screamed. With two dunks this season, he has already doubled his total from last year.
Doncic threw a triple to Reaves with 8:01 left in the fourth quarter, and Reaves raised his hands and threw his head back in relief. He missed his first seven 3-point attempts and completed two of 10 from 3-point range.
Reeves' return will bring the Lakers one player closer to being at full strength. LeBron James He plans to practice with the South Bay Lakers this week as he recovers from his return from right-sided sciatica.
Rookie Adu Thiero (recovered from left knee surgery) is also close to a return, with Redick estimating the forward could make his NBA debut during the road trip, which continues Wednesday in Oklahoma City and ends with action in New Orleans on Friday and Milwaukee on Saturday.
