Nobody said coming back from a sprained ankle was easy. Luke Walton had hoped to return for tonight’s game against Atlanta but Phil Jackson ruled him out at shootaround. “Luke’s not going to play. He did some things on the court but he’s not ready to play. Kwame (Brown) isn’t either,” Jackson said.

Walton will miss his sixth game since suffering the injury. The Lakers have two days before they play at Detroit on Thursday night, which would give Walton the chance to practice twice before returning.

Jackson also had a pretty good answer to the question of whether he considered the Hawks a dangerous team. “Have you seen how we play in Atlanta?” Jackson asked. The Lakers have lost twice here during Jackson’s tenure as coach.