“Obviously, you always want to remember your first bucket,” Luka Doncic said after the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Atlanta Hawks 124-114 on Monday night, Basket USA reported.
That bucket belonged to rookie guard Cameron Carr. In his first true rotation minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers, the rookie scored his initial NBA points on a fast-break dunk fed by Doncic, who then made sure the young player kept the game ball.
Yeah, Rook!!! pic.twitter.com/aPoSfJy8nv
The win in Atlanta marked the sixth victory for the Lakers, solidifying their grip on the top spot in the Western Conference with a 10-2 record through 12 games, according to ClutchPoints.
Doncic led the charge with 32 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists after returning from a one-game rest day. The Slovenian star orchestrated an early lead that weathered a second-half push from the Hawks.
In light of Cameron Carr scoring his first NBA basket tonight in Atlanta, does Sandro Mamukelashvili remember his first bucket in the league? Mamu: "Yeah, it was against the Miami Heat. It was a putback." Luka Dončić making fun of question in the background Mamu: "See, I… pic.twitter.com/6BOGj9BtDF”
Carr logged seven minutes of action in the victory. The rookie was recently assigned to the G-League to log developmental minutes after being slowed by a preseason injury, ClutchPoints reported.
Carr arrived in Los Angeles following a draft-night trade. The New York Knicks selected him 24th overall in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Baylor, where he averaged 18.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game, according to Sports NDTV.
Doncic praised the rookie’s poise during his extended minutes. He was good, he was really good,
Doncic told reporters via Spectrum SportsNet. It’s not easy to just get in the game, play the game. So he was very good. He’s just got to keep building on it.
Following the final buzzer, head coach JJ Redick delivered the game ball to Carr inside the locker room.
Luka gave Cam Carr the game ball after scoring his first NBA points in tonight's win over Atlanta! pic.twitter.com/tAT0n4ie2h
That supportive gesture stood out to veteran forward Sandro Mamukelashvili. Recalling his own rookie debut with the Milwaukee Bucks, Mamukelashvili noted that nobody tracked down his first basket—a putback against the Miami Heat—because veterans were simply eager to exit the arena.
One night before defeating Atlanta, the Lakers topped Detroit without Doncic behind 43 points from Austin Reaves.
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