Luka Dončić didn't miss a beat.
The Los Angeles Lakers star nearly notched a triple-double on Monday, Nov. 9 in his return from injury when he tallied 32 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds in a 124-114 win against the Atlanta Hawks.
Dončić missed one game with back tightness, a win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, Nov. 8, but he returned to the starting lineup on day later at State Farm Arena in Atlanta. Sandro Mamukelashvili contributed 23 points off the bench, and Walker Kessler added 21 points and 10 boards.
CJ McCollum led Atlanta with 21 points off the bench. Nickeil Alexander-Walker added 20 points.
The Hawks took an early 15-7 lead in the first quarter, but the Lakers took control from there and didn't trail the rest of the game.
Los
Angeles snaps the Hawks' four-game winning streak. On Saturday, Nov. 7, Atlanta had a star of their own return from injury. Jalen Johnson had 30 points and bounced back from a hurt ankle to help his team come back from a 17-point deficit and notch a victory against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Luka Dončić stats this season
Dončić's last outing was a massive – a 53-point effort in a winover the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday, Nov. 6.
The six-time All-Star is averaging a league-high 39.3 points per game this season. He adds 7.9 assists per outing, which ranks seventh in the NBA, and 7.8 rebounds and is making an early case for MVP. Dončić also leads the league in field goals made per game (12.1), 3-pointers (5.5) and free throws (9.6), while 49.8% from the field, 40.7% from beyond the arc and 88.1% from the charity stripe.
This is his third season with the Lakers after a blockbuster trade with the Dallas Mavericks that also involved Anthony Davis.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Luka Doncic nearly notches triple-double as he continues to dominate NBA
