Anthony Davis saw that the Atlanta Hawks were attempting to draw the Lakers’ attention without the need for 20/20 vision.

“My view is not what you want!” Later on, Austin Reaves would say.

Hawks guard Jaylen Johnson made the following fast break into a highlight after the Lakers turned the ball over on the opening play of the game. This is one of the few times a story starts with an exclamation point before anything is written.

The dunk, which, unfortunately for Reaves, was overshadowed by Anthony Edwards in a different game in Utah, caused Atlanta to go off to an abrupt 11-2 start as a wake-up call.

“It may have been the first time I’ve ever felt truly dunked on.” I took my time, not being particularly athletic, choosing my moments to move aside. tried to assume a leadership role,” Reaves smiled. “I don’t know, he’s an athletic kid, and he has one.” I do not doubt that it will happen again the longer I play the game. Thus, don’t worry too much about it.

“It was just the whole process of them kind of running that after it was the beginning. I’m sitting there thinking, “S—, that’s how it all began.”

However, the Lakers (37-32) swiftly established their rhythm after Davis returned to the starting lineup with a scratched eye on Saturday, ensuring that Johnson’s highlight was an anomaly in a game that was primarily Lakers.

In a 136-105 victory over Atlanta on Monday night at Crypto.com Arena to snap a two-game losing streak, all five starters ended with at least 12 points, had key moments and were able to sit out most of the fourth quarter.

“I’m delighted for our team,” Lakers head coach Darvin Ham declared. “Defensively, there was a lot of carryover. We discussed cutting down on offensive rebounds and improving our performance on the defensive glass. I think we were quite excellent at that for most of the game. Subsequently, there was movement of the ball. It’s major to finish with 39 assists. Guys will make and miss shots if we keep playing the correct way, but as long as we give them the chance and we act quickly, you’ll have nights like this where six players wind up scoring in double figures. So, I felt that the evening was fantastic. A fantastic, win-win evening for both teams.

Johnson scored 25 points for the Hawks (30-38), who had defeated the Clippers the previous evening, but they never really threatened when the Lakers got going.

In addition to his 27 points, D’Angelo Russell also had 10 assists. His sixth three-pointer put him in a tie with Nick Van Exel for the most threes made by the Lakers in a single season (183).

LeBron James and Anthony Davis each scored 25 and 22 points, respectively, on 10 for 14 field goals. Rui Hachimura led with 17, and Reaves added a highlight of his own when he intercepted an inbounds pass and fed James for a slam using a behind-the-back pass that required no look.

With 11 points, Max Christie led the Lakers off the bench.

After getting struck in the face by Golden State’s Trayce Jackson-Davis on Saturday, Davis had a fright that ended with a scratched cornea.

“I just was unable to see. Actually, the corneal abrasion was in the center of my eye, according to Davis. It wasn’t as peripheral as that. Whenever I looked, it was hazy. There was swelling in my eye. My eye felt like it was open. However, it wasn’t. It continued to irrigate. All I could feel was sand in my eyes.

Therefore, it was simply better closed, and my vision was impaired. I’ve been icing it since Saturday following the third quarter, and it improved later that evening. The edema decreased. I just sort of remained in the shadows. then after that, we went to the doctor on Sunday morning and ultimately learned a few more things. However, I found it difficult to see.

He didn’t need to squint to view the Hawks’ lineup for his club.

“I visited the eye doctor, and everything seems fine. I feel happy about the fact that I’m still 20/15,” he remarked.

When Davis returned, the Lakers received unfavorable news about the depth of their frontcourt.

A person with knowledge of the matter who is not authorized to speak publicly has stated that reserve big man Christian Wood, who has missed the last 13 games, is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery and will be sidelined for many weeks.

Since the All-Star break, Wood has missed time due to swelling in his knees. Soon, the team is anticipated to provide an official update regarding him. Monday’s shootaround saw injured forward Jarred Vanderbilt practice spot-shooting exercises in front of general manager Rob Pelinka and head coach Adam Ham.

“He’s progressing as expected,” Ham stated before the match. Gabe (Vincent) is progressing as expected. Here, Cam (Reddish) ought to be returning very soon. Thus, as we begin to get those individuals back, their contributions to our basketball team are limited to their intangibles.

“People talk about making shots and getting stops, which is important, but those guys’ ability to get us extra possessions through steals, deflections that result in turnovers, and securing defensive and offensive rebounds is also important. That will be a much-needed addition to help those guys regain their health.