How The Atlanta Hawks Can Slow Down Luka Doncic Tonight

Doncic is on an incredible tear through his first nine games - how can the Hawks prevent themselves from being another notch in his MVP campaign?

Jan 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles the ball against Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) during the third quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

With the way he's playing right now, stopping Luka Doncic completely is out of the question. He's averaging 40.1 points on 49.8% shooting (41.9% on 13.8 three-point attempts), 7.8 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals. It's ridiculous scoring volume on pretty good levels of efficiency and it's why he's currently the front runner for MVP.

How do you beat a player like this?

In LA's two losses, Luka has had 41 points (against the Trail Blazers in a 136-129 loss) and 37 points (against the Warriors in a 95-112 loss). That doesn't really speak favorably of teams' ability to stop him. However, there are some factors that are working in Atlanta's advantage when it comes to this matchup and Hawks fans should believe there's some chance of the Hawks making Doncic work a little extra harder for his points tonight.

Here are three strategies the Atlanta Hawks might want to consider when they scheme up a plan for limiting Doncic:

1) Rotate Dyson and Dort On Him

Jan 13, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) passes the ball between Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (left) and forward Onyeka Okongwu (17) during the fourth quarter at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Historically speaking, the Hawks do have two of the more effective Luka defenders in the entire NBA. Dyson Daniels has guarded Luka on 144 possessions over the past three seasons, and he's held him to 20.9 points per 75 possessions on 60 TS%. It's hardly taking him out of the game, but it is certainly below Doncic's usual standard of scoring excellence. That's due to Dyson's size, strength and active hands that can frustrate someone like Doncic, used to moving past defenders with his superior handle and strength.

Dort has done an arguably better job. He's taken on the Luka assignment over 169 possessions in the same time frame and he's held him to 17.8 points on 68.5 TS%. Again, he doesn't take Doncic out of the game entirely, but Dort's physicality is a nice counterbalance to Doncic's own strengths. In my opinion, both players should see a lot of playing time in this game so that the Hawks can rotate coverages and give Doncic new looks while keeping one experienced defender on him at all times.

2) Get Into His Handle

Nov 8, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) dribbles against Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) during the first half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This scoring hasn't come without its knocks. Doncic's production this year has been somewhat in spite of his dreadful turnovers. He's averaging 4.9 turnovers per game, and that's where players like NAW, Kingston Flemings, CJ McCollum, and Aaron Wiggins can all be helpful.

There needs to be a lot of active hands from Atlanta's defense and they should be aggressively going for the ball whenever the moment calls for it. He has range from practically anywhere on the court, so the defense is going to need to stay vigilant and punish the turnovers that they do force by running an effective transition offense.

3) Tire Him Out On Defense

Nov 8, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Mouhamed Gueye (18) dribbles against Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) during the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To be fair, Doncic has taken some steps on the defensive end this season. He's averaging a STOP% of 3.7%, good for the 91st percentile among all SFs. He's also contributed as a defensive rebounder, helping to end possessions and get back into running LA's half-court offense as quickly as possible. However, Doncic is a bit like Jalen Brunson in that he's way better on offense when he can hide on a weak scorer on defense. Conserving his energy makes him more effective as a scorer, but the Hawks can't afford to have this happen.

Daniels is one of the main candidates to be guarded by Doncic due to Dyson's non-existent shooting game. However, Dyson's ace up his sleeve is his passing and rebounding. His playmaking touch means that Doncic always has to keep his head on a swivel, and Daniels has shown a renewed commitment to hustling on the boards this season. That doesn't really sound like a player Luka is interested in keeping up with for a whole game.

Regardless of how they do it, it'll be hard for this defense to keep Doncic in check. However, the experience they have, the talented perimeter defenders and the unique offensive threats they provide do make them a somewhat surprising candidate to hand LA its third loss of the season.