Luka Dončić goes for a fifth straight 40-point game tonight in Atlanta

Luka Dončić takes a four-game run of 40-point nights into Atlanta tonight, and one more would put him on a list only six players have reached. The Lakers (9-2) visit the Hawks (7-4) at 7 p.m. ET on Prime Video from State Farm Arena, and Los Angeles will do it without Austin Reaves, who was ruled out with an illness.

Underdog NBA noted Monday that James Harden, Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor are the only players in NBA history with 40 or more points in five straight games.

Milestone watch

ESPN's game log shows the streak: 45 against Toronto on Nov. 1, 42 against Miami on Nov. 2, 40 at Sacramento on Nov. 4 and a season-high 53 against Portland on Friday. Dončić is averaging 40.1 points, 7.7 assists and 7.8 rebounds a game, and the league named him Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday.

Dončić missed Sunday's 121-116 win at Detroit with a back issue, which is why the streak survives a game he didn't play. He was not on Monday's injury report, per Underdog NBA and ESPN's injury listing.

What changes without Reaves

Reaves scored 43 in Detroit. With him out and Quentin Grimes also sidelined with a finger injury, the usage tilts even harder toward Dončić, which helps the streak and hurts the Lakers' margin for error. Walker Kessler leads Los Angeles at 10.9 rebounds a game.

The Hawks' side

Atlanta has won four straight and is going for a 3-0 homestand. Nickeil Alexander-Walker leads the Hawks at 22.1 points and Jalen Johnson is averaging 7.6 assists and 8.8 rebounds. Jock Landale (hip) is available. Keshon Gilbert, Mouhamed Gueye and Asa Newell are out, per the team.

DraftKings, via ESPN, has Atlanta as a 2.5-point favorite with a 233.5 total after the Reaves news.

Why it matters

The Lakers sit first in the West on a five-game win streak, and the NBA noted the West's top five teams all carry streaks of four or more for the first time since 1970-71. Tonight is the test of how far Dončić can carry the league's top-rated offense alone on the road against a hot home team. Watch his shot volume early. He has taken 23 or more shots in each game of the streak.