Los Angeles Lakers - Atlanta Hawks Preview: Injuries, Odds, Score Prediction & Starters

It's hard to describe the whiplash of facing a Nets team that will likely finish towards the bottom of the conference to playing a Lakers team that's become one of the scariest forces in the Western Conference. Narrowly pulling away with a win in the last few minutes of the fourth quarter is a very risky strategy against this team - they're 9-2 for a reason.

LA's big trio of Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves and Walker Kessler have certainly started the season with something to prove. The duo of Doncic and Reaves has barbecued opponents on the perimeter while Kessler's shut down the paint and allowed the Lakers' defense to play with reckless abandon. They can certainly be foiled, but it's going to take much better execution from the Hawks than they showed against Brooklyn. Taking possessions off on defense isn't going to be a viable strategy against the Lakers given how talented their two best offensive players are.

If Atlanta wants to be viewed as a serious player in the Eastern Conference, these types of games are the ones that count. How can they get the win?

Game Preview

Bury the Backup Centers

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Lakers, Los Angeles Lakers — Nov 7, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks forward Zuby Ejiofor (20) makes a pass against the Brooklyn Nets during the third quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Thankfully, Jock Landale is going to be a game-time decision for the Hawks tonight. There's a chance the Hawks could have Onyeka Okongwu, Landale, and Zuby Ejiofor all in the mix, and that's a massive advantage against LA's comparatively thinner center group.

It's already very obvious that Kevon Looney isn't a NBA-level center any more. The Lakers are nearly 42 points worse in his minutes and he's already been essentially cut from the rotation. That leaves Sandro Mamukelashvilli and Lawson Lovering as the only two backup centers on the roster. Mamu is a very versatile offensive player and he definitely offers something interesting in relief of Kessler. However, he's really not a strong defender.

Landale and Ejiofor have both shown a real ability to make their presences felt against the defense. Jock does it mostly through his shooting, but Ejiofor's paint presence and ability to pass surprisingly well for a big, not to mention his motor, is a combination that the Lakers don't really have an answer for in the minutes Kessler is off the floor.

Restricting Reaves

Hawks, Atlanta Hawks, NBA, Reaves, Austin Reaves — Jan 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15) moves the ball against Atlanta Hawks guard Dyson Daniels (5) during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

While Luka Doncic is announcing his own MVP campaign in thunderous fashion, the Hawks can't afford to sleep on Austin Reaves, either.

Without Doncic in the lineup, Reaves torched a largely excellent Pistons defense to the tune of 43 points on 14-27 shooting from the field and a perfect 11-11 from the charity stripe. He's more than capable of taking over a game, and it's going to be a huge ask for NAW to chase him around all night. I'm interested to see how Flemings does in the possessions he does get to guard Reaves on. He's certainly got the quickness to keep up with him, but the veteran guard might be too much to handle for a rookie.

In particular, Reaves has been one of the best iso scorers in the league thus far. He's averaging 1.29 points per possession on iso looks, which is the 4th-best mark in the entire NBA, and he leads all scorers with a 76.8% effective field goal percentage in those situations. Doubling him at the right time is going to be key from time to time, as it's going to be very hard to keep him bottled up in a 1v1 matchup all night.

Passing With Precision

This LA team punishes lazy passes and loose handles. They're 3rd in steals per game, have the second highest opponent TOV% in the NBA, and Matisse Thybulle is averaging 2.0 steals per game. Ball security is going to be of paramount importance in this game, and it'll be very important to execute carefully against LA's perimeter defenders.

The Lakers are also 1st in points off a turnover, so the Hawks need to get back with haste and set up their transition defense on those plays where they do turn the ball over. That's going to take commitment on the defensive end that they didn't really show against Brooklyn.

Injury Report

For Atlanta, Jock Landale is questionable while Asa Newell, Keshon Gilbert, Mo Gueye and Henri Veesaar are all out. LA is on a back-to-back, but they did lose Quentin Grimes in the Pistons game with a finger injury and Doncic sat out of the Detroit game as well. I'd expect Luka to play, but I would not be surprised if Grimes sat.

Betting Lines (via FanDuel Sportsbook)

Spread: Lakers -2.5 (-106), Hawks +2.5 (-114)

Moneyline: Lakers -142, Hawks +120

Total points scored: 236.5 (over -110, under -110)

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
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Projected Starters

Hawks

G - Kingston Flemings

G - Nickeil Alexander-Walker

G/F - Dyson Daniels

F - Jalen Johnson

C - Onyeka Okongwu

Lakers

G - Luka Doncic

G - Austin Reaves

F - Matisse Thybulle

F - Jake LaRavia

C - Walker Kessler

Final Score Prediction

The Hawks are going to come into this game with the rest advantage and If Doncic does sit, I think the Hawks are the better team. If not, it is hard to pick against the player who has been playing the best basketball of anyone so far, even if the game is at home and the Lakers played last night with travel. Atlanta's defense has been shaky enough in the past couple of

Final Score: Lakers 129, Hawks 124

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