- 1 Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers: Doncic’s 40-point run meets the second night of a back-to-back
- 2 Atlanta Hawks: Alexander-Walker’s 60 points in two games with Johnson on the sideline
- 3 Los Angeles Lakers: second in offense, 20th in defense and 13 blocks in Sacramento
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your responsibility
- 9 Responsible gambling
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About visuals
Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers: Doncic’s 40-point run meets the second night of a back-to-back 
The Lakers play in Detroit at 6:00pm ET on Sunday and in Atlanta at 7:00pm ET on Monday 9 November. Of the eight teams we’ve studied on this Monday’s slate, they’re the only one on the second night of a back-to-back.
Los Angeles has earned the benefit of the doubt in most other respects. It’s 7-2, second in the West, and has won three straight behind a run from Luka Doncic that nobody else in the league can match: 45 against Toronto, 42 against Miami and 40 in Sacramento on Wednesday.
Doncic has 308 points in eight games, which works out at 38.5 a night, and he’s scored at least 35 in six straight. Against the Kings he went 11-of-23 from the field, made six threes and hit 12 of 13 at the line in a 116-103 win.
Atlanta is 5-4 and fourth in the East, and it’s won two straight without Jalen Johnson. The Hawks host Washington on Friday and Brooklyn on Saturday, both at State Farm Arena, and they get Sunday off before this game.
The teams split last season’s two meetings: Atlanta won 122-102 at home on 8 November 2025, and the Lakers won 141-116 in Los Angeles on 13 January. Monday is the first meeting of this season, and no line had been posted at the time of writing.
Atlanta Hawks: Alexander-Walker’s 60 points in two games with Johnson on the sideline 
Nickeil Alexander-Walker scored 34 in Indianapolis on Monday and 26 in Washington on Wednesday, the second of those with six threes. He went into that second game averaging 21.1, the team’s highest figure.
The win in Washington was the more convincing of the two. Atlanta won 120-105 at Capital One Arena, with Onyeka Okongwu putting up 14 points and 16 rebounds, and CJ McCollum and Andrew Wiggins scoring 15 each. Anthony Davis had 26 and 10 for the Wizards, and George scored 25.
Johnson remains the variable. His left ankle sprain cost him both of those games, and he’s listed out through at least Friday. He averaged 18.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists before the injury, and his return would add a second playmaker to a lineup already getting 4.1 assists from Dyson Daniels.
The frontcourt behind Okongwu is short. Jock Landale has a hip problem, Mouhamed Gueye is out through at least 20 November with a foot injury, and Henri Veesaar is done for the season after tearing an ACL. Asa Newell was a game-time call with a toe injury, so Okongwu’s 7.5 rebounds a game may need to go up against Kessler on Monday.
The season numbers put Atlanta close to average, with an offensive rating of 112.6 ranked 17th and a defensive rating of 111.3 ranked 13th through eight games. The Hawks score 115.8 and allow 113.0, and they ranked sixth in pace at 102.4, which is a demanding speed for an opponent playing a second game in 25 hours.
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Los Angeles Lakers: second in offense, 20th in defense and 13 blocks in Sacramento 
Austin Reaves is the second option here, averaging 23.6 points and 5.1 assists going into Wednesday, and he added 21 in Sacramento. Kessler had 15 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three steals that night, and he’s at 14.4 points and 10.5 rebounds for the season.
The Lakers ranked second in offensive rating at 122.1 through eight games, and they had 39 assists in the 138-117 win over Miami on Monday. They score 121.8 a game, and Doncic has played eight of their nine.
Their defense doesn’t match that level. A rating of 114.9 ranked 20th, and they allow 113.9 points a game. Toronto scored 125 on them on Sunday, Miami 117 on Monday, and Golden State won 112-95 on 30 October, the only loss among their last five.
Wednesday’s defensive line in Sacramento was an outlier, with 13 blocks and 11 steals against a team that’s 1-7. Atlanta’s guards will provide a sterner test, and Los Angeles will have spent Friday hosting Portland and Sunday in Detroit before it gets here.
Adou Thiero (knee) is out through at least Friday and is the only Laker on the injury report. A healthy roster helps, but this is a heavy stretch: Portland at 10:00pm ET on Friday, a cross-country flight, Detroit on Sunday evening and then Atlanta, with Milwaukee to follow on 11 November.
Probable lineup Atlanta Hawks: Not announced at time of publication
Probable lineup Los Angeles Lakers: Not announced at time of publication
Free NBA Prediction: Atlanta Hawks vs Los Angeles Lakers
Our prediction: Atlanta Hawks to win
This pick rests on the schedule and on a defense ranked 20th. The Lakers will arrive at State Farm Arena having played in Detroit the previous evening, and a team that gave up 125 and 117 in the two games of its last back-to-back, on 1 and 2 November, has shown what that does to its defense. Atlanta will have had a full day off at home and plays at a faster pace than Los Angeles does.
Doncic is the argument against us and it’s a strong one. A player averaging 38.5 can win this game alone, and Los Angeles beat Miami by 21 on the second night of its last back-to-back. That game was at home, though, and this one follows a flight from Detroit, so we still think the schedule tilts toward Atlanta.
Alexander-Walker’s shooting has kept Atlanta winning without Johnson, and Johnson’s return would strengthen this pick further. We’d want confirmation of his status before committing, along with a price at or above our 1.45 floor.
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