Saturday’s game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena is one that Luka Doncic would want to forget. The undermanned Hawks blew out the Lakers 122-102, and as if that wasn’t bad enough, the home crowd taunted Doncic with “Nico” and “Mavericks Reject” chants when he was at the free-throw line in the first quarter.
Hawks fans chanting “NICO” and MAVERICKS REJECT” while Luka was at the line
He bricked both free throws 😭 pic.twitter.com/ogN8uJcdbw
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) November 9, 2025
Doncic actually did not miss both free throws. Those chants broke out during separate trips to the line, and he went 1-2 on both occasions.
The chants, of course, were a reference to Dallas Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison trading Doncic to the Lakers in February 2025. The Slovenian did not want to go anywhere, but Harrison reportedly had concerns about his long-term health and defense, and shipped him out of town.
For the longest time, the Hawks were the ones with the worst Doncic trade. They had selected him with the third pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, but then traded him not long after to the Mavericks for Trae Young and a 2019 first-round pick. While Young has turned into a star, he is nowhere near as good as Doncic. Still, it was a better trade than the one the Mavericks did.
While Doncic didn’t lose much sleep over the Hawks trading him, it took him a while to get over the Mavericks’ decision. He appears to have moved on now and has been dominating for the Lakers. That, in turn, had many wondering if the Hawks fans were perhaps making a bit of a mistake by poking the bear here.
Talking trash to Doncic in any form has backfired horribly over the years, but that didn’t happen here. The Hawks were in complete control for much of the night and came away with the win. Almost no one saw this coming, though.
The Hawks were without Young, Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Johnson, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Luke Kennard against the Lakers. They were also on the second night of a back-to-back, and a loss seemed inevitable, even with LeBron James and Austin Reaves being out for the visitors.
A Doncic masterclass looked to be on the cards, and he played extremely well in the first half. The 26-year-old had racked up 22 points by halftime on 7-13 shooting from the field.
The Lakers, though, were still down 68-54, and it was going to take a magical second half from Doncic to turn things around. Unfortunately, the five-time All-Star went 0-4 from the field in the third, and head coach JJ Redick pulled him with the Hawks leading 90-65 midway through the period.
Doncic finished the night with 22 points (7-17 FG), five rebounds, 11 assists, and one steal. His play in that first half was one of the few positives to take from the night for the Lakers.
Deandre Ayton later admitted postgame that the Lakers underestimated the Hawks. They were reminded of the fact that it is still NBA players on the other side and that you can get embarrassed if you don’t play with great effort.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick was also visibly upset after the game, and you’d expect a strong response from the team next time out. The Lakers are in action against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Monday at 7 PM ET.
