Luka Doncic Admits Lakers Can Still Improve After 10-2 Start

Point guard Luka Doncic sat out Sunday's win in Detroit with lower back tightness, but he was back on the floor one night later as the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-114 at State Farm Arena.

Doncic finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists, five steals and two blocks in 39 minutes, and the win moved the Lakers to 10-2 with their sixth straight victory.

The Lakers did it on the second night of a back-to-back without guard Austin Reaves, who was out with an illness, and guard Quentin Grimes, who has a sprained finger on his right hand.

Center Sandro Mamukelashvili picked up the slack with 23 points and eight rebounds off the bench, while center Walker Kessler added 21 points and 10 rebounds.

Six straight wins did not stop Doncic from looking at what still needs work.

The Lakers came into Monday ranked 21st in the league in defensive efficiency, and he did not try to talk around that number after the game.

"I think we can be way better than 21st," Doncic said, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, and he added that he thinks this group has the potential to get there.

That is the right answer from the best player on the team.

Doncic has heard criticism of his own defense earlier this season, so it means something that he pointed at that end of the floor himself.

His five steals and two blocks in Atlanta were a good place to start, and head coach JJ Redick also praised him for being a willing passer who could have finished with 15 or 16 assists.

A lot of this hot start has come from Doncic's scoring, since he put up 45, 42, 40 and 53 points in four straight games before he missed the Detroit game, and a run like that can hide plenty of problems on the other end.

The Lakers have the best record in the Western Conference, but the playoffs will not be won on shootouts alone, and a defense in the bottom half of the league is the clearest thing standing between this team and a real title push.

The Lakers keep finding ways to win when the roster is thin, and they have won both games Doncic has missed this season.

Kessler has also talked about what the Lakers still need to clean up, so the two of them are saying the same thing.

Reaves and Grimes are both listed as day-to-day, and the team has not given a status for Wednesday's game at Milwaukee.

Reaves scored 43 points in Sunday's win at Detroit before the illness kept him out, and getting him back would give the offense a big lift. After the Bucks, the Lakers visit the Phoenix Suns on Nov. 15 and then host the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 17.

I like that Doncic is pushing for more now instead of waiting for a slump to force the issue, because a 10-2 team that gets into the top half of the league on defense is a team I would pick to win it all.