Luka Doncic scores 38 to deliver Lakers to win

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — For once, Luka Doncic had to serve the punishment. For not hitting any half-court pictures during his pregame warmup, Doncic had to drop to the court and give his teaching employees push-ups.

The exercise seemingly powered him up for the two-handed dunk to come.

Doncic dazzled in the Lakers’ 121-111 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Monday at Spectrum Center, scoring 38 factors with seven assists, six rebounds and one emphatic third-quarter dunk to help the Lakers flush the recollections of a blowout loss in Atlanta.

“It was fun, not only because he got the dunk,” coach JJ Redick said, “but just him letting out some emotion.”

Doncic exorcised the demons of a 20-point loss to Atlanta on Saturday in which the Lakers (8-3) led for only 19 seconds and pulled the starters before the third quarter. He spent the bulk of that recreation bickering with officers. He missed six three-pointers and had 5 turnovers.

On Monday, Doncic was back to joking with Austin Reaves about who had the better deadball three-quarters-court heave after Reaves returned from a three-game absence with 24 factors and seven assists.

“I was pushing him to get back,” said Doncic, who made a 70-foot shot after the whistle and wished to make sure Reaves knew it was longer than his 50-footer. (*38*)

Reaves, who was out because of a proper groin pressure, said he wished to play against Atlanta but was held out for precautionary causes. He performed one minute and 25 seconds over his supposed 28-minute restriction Monday. Everything felt great, he said, besides his leap shot.

When Doncic assisted him on a three-pointer with 8:01 remaining in the fourth, Reaves put his arms up and threw his head back in aid. He had missed his first seven three-point makes an attempt and completed two for 10 from three-point vary.

With Reaves’ return, the Lakers are one participant nearer to a healthy roster. LeBron James is scheduled to observe with the South Bay Lakers this week as he progresses through proper sciatica.

Rookie Adou Thiero (left knee surgical procedure recovery) also is close to returning. Redick estimated the ahead might make his NBA debut during the journey, which has three video games remaining, beginning Wednesday at Oklahoma City. The defending NBA champions are 10-1.

“They’re the No. 1 team right now,” ahead Rui Hachimura said. “So we got to be ready for the war on Wednesday.”

Hachimura scored 21 factors Monday with excellent three-for-three capturing from three-point vary. In addition to seven steals from Marcus Smart, Hachimura quietly starred on protection, serving to the Lakers maintain the Hornets to 38 mixed factors in the second and third quarters.

Reaves announced his presence by throwing a lob to Deandre Ayton for the Lakers’ first basket. After Charlotte (3-7) blitzed the Lakers with eight three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 40-36 lead, Reaves answered by scoring seven of the Lakers’ first 10 factors in the second. He gave the workforce a jolt of power by racing for a transition layup to beat the halftime buzzer, giving the Lakers a two-point lead.

“He’s an All-Star-level player,” Redick said before the sport. “He’s, along with Luka, an incredibly dynamic offensive player. I think our depth increases, the lineup optionality increases, so not having him in the lineup really, really hurts us.”

The Lakers went 2-1 in video games without Reaves, but the blowout in Atlanta was so putting that Redick was left questioning the id of his workforce. Redick waved the white flag by the center of the third quarter after the beginning unit let the deficit balloon to 25.

With Doncic and Reaves back, the Lakers wouldn’t repeat their third-quarter woes.

The Lakers began the second half with an 11-4 run that pressured the Hornets to call a timeout. Reaves then assisted on a three-pointer from Hachimura that pushed the lead into double digits. Doncic hit a step-back three to put the Lakers up by 12. Doncic’s help to Hachimura prolonged the lead to 17.

A driving, two-handed dunk was the exclamation level, beautiful the Charlotte crowd as Doncic hung on the rim and screamed for a three-point play. Doncic can dunk, he insisted after the sport.

“I just don’t want to all the time,” he added with a slight grin.

With two dunks this season — including a barely-there slam at home against Minnesota that his teammates don’t formally rely — he already doubled his whole from last season.

“Finally,” Smart said. “The way he be getting by [defenders], he’s always acting. Might as well go and dunk it one time. I guess you gotta piss him off for that.”