Luka Doncic Returns to Lakers Lineup as Los Angeles Prepares to Steamroll Atlanta

The Los Angeles Lakers are officially rolling out Luka Doncic, Matisse Thybulle, Jalen Williams, Jake LaRavia, and Walker Kessler to start Monday night against the Atlanta Hawks. Underdog NBA dropped the lineup alert, confirming that Doncic is back in action after taking Sunday off.

If you looked at that starting five three years ago, you would assume a random number generator took over the front office. Instead, it is the starting unit for a juggernaut. Doncic returning from lower-back tightness means the offense goes right back to the guy currently averaging a completely normal 40.1 points per game.

"Underdog NBA: 'Lineup alert: Lakers will start Doncic, Thybulle, Williams, LaRavia, Kessler on Monday.'"

The Lakers did not exactly collapse without their franchise engine on Sunday. Austin Reaves had to step in and drop 43 points to drag Los Angeles past the Detroit Pistons 121-116. That is a fun story for a night, but nobody wants to rely on a Reaves carry job for a full week of basketball.

Getting Doncic back on the floor alongside defensive anchors like Thybulle and Kessler is a nightmare for Atlanta. The Lakers are sitting at 9-2 and hold a ridiculous 10-1 record against the spread this season. They are covering numbers with the kind of consistency that makes oddsmakers question their career choices.

Monday night in Atlanta is just the start of a road trip that heads to Milwaukee later this week. With Doncic healthy and the supporting cast doing exactly what they are paid to do, the rest of the Western Conference is officially on notice.