Dončić fell short of the 40-point plateau in his return from a one-game absence due to a minor back issue, but showed no signs of rust, turning in another spectacular all-around performance that left him two rebounds shy of a triple-double. He scored 18 of his 32 points after halftime, helping Los Angeles withstand a late Atlanta rally before pulling away in the closing minutes. The Lakers were also without Austin Reaves (illness) in this one, making Dončić’s latest all-around performance even more impressive. The 27-year-old franchise cornerstone has been virtually unstoppable through the early stages of the season and has quickly established himself as the frontrunner in the MVP race.