In a Los Angeles Lakers win on the road against the Hawks on Tuesday, Luka Doncic saw his four-game streak of 40-plus point games snapped, as he slumped all the way down to 32 points (yes, that is sarcasm) on 11-for-22 shooting. He continued to dominate the stat line, with eight rebounds and 10 assists, as well as a notable five steals–he is averaging a career-high 2.0 steals per game, and is No. 12 in the league in that category. But it was a big steal and assist to rookie Cameron Carr that caught attention for the Lakers star after the game.
Carr, the No. 24 pick in the draft this year, got his first real NBA minutes in what is his fourth game of his career. He played 7:19 and finally broke through with his first points, on a breakaway dunk after a Hawks turnover and lead pass from Doncic with 1:40 to play in the first quarter. It was an emphatic and memorable way for a rookie to get his first points in the league.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Tracks Down Game Ball for Cameron Carr
But after the game, Doncic tracked down the game ball from the Hawks and made yet another steal, taking it so that the Lakers could give it to Carr.
Said Doncic about his decision to get the ball: “Obviously, you want to remember your first bucket, you know, you want to get that ball. So it was kind of important for me to get it.”
Asked about how Carr looked in his first real Lakers run, Doncic said: “He was good, he was very good, it is not easy just to get in the game, play the game, so he was very good. Just gotta keep going.”
After the game, too, Hawks coach Quin Snyder become yet another coach singing the praises of Doncic. He did not light up the Hawks with 50 points, but Doncic was every bit as effective as if he had.
Snyder said: “He’s a terrific player. In order to guard him effectively, there are times when you have to commit two people to the ball. He’s a willing passer too, so sometimes when the ball came out of the trap, it puts more pressure on our defense to rotate properly, and that’s what those other guys thrive on: their ability to attack closeouts and rotations.”
The Lakers’ road trip will continue on Wednesday when they play in Milwaukee at 8 p.m. ET.
Lakers’ Luka Doncic Gets Attention for What He Did After Win