This week witnessed something interesting in the world of NBA. On one night, Miami Heat‘s Bam Adebayo went on to surpass legend Kobe Bryant‘s single game 81-point milestone. He reached to a figure of 83 points against the Washington Wizards in the final minutes. Contrary to this, Los Angeles Lakers‘ star Luka Doncic was seen doing something bizarre on Thursday night despite having a shot at a rare stat.
It seems Doncic has taken it upon himself to not let Lakers fans feel LeBron James‘ absence till he’s back on the court. In the last few days, the No.77 has been consistently delivering game-winning performances and last night was no different.
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Against the Chicago Bulls at the Crypto.com Arena, Doncic scored 50 points in a game for the first time during his stint with the Lakers. To be precise, he scored 51 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. He helped the home team win 142-130.
While a double-double was impressive already, the guard missed out on a rare opportunity in the final moments. With just two minutes remaining, Doncic intentionally took a foul to pull himself out of the game. At this point, he could have just stayed to post one more assist and earn a 50-point triple double. But he chose not to. Eventually, the Lakers announcers applauded this selfless gesture.
Mar 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots against Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey (3) and forward Leonard Miller (11) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. © Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
(© Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images)
In the NBA history, it has happened only 17 times that a player has posted a 50-point triple double in a game. Interestingly, Doncic has already done it once when he was with the Dallas Mavericks. In December 2022, he posted 60 points, 21 rebounds and 10 assists against the New York Knicks.
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He had a chance to do it again, and first time while wearing the purple and gold. But according to announcers Bill MacDonald and Stu Lantz, Doncic wasn’t stat-chasing. After the guard pulled himself out in the final minutes, McDonald immediately said, “He’s not chasing numbers,” with Lantz repeating, “He’s not chasing numbers”
Doncic is averaging 32.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 8.5 assists in the regular season for the Lakers. In the last one week, they have won four straight games thanks to No.77’s on-court domination.
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Home fans will once again witness Doncic on Saturday inside the Crypto.com Arena when he and Lakers take on the Denver Nuggets. The contest will tip-off at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
After the win against the Bulls, Lakers have reached the third spot in the Western Conference and would like to keep the momentum going.
Related: Lakers Announce Luka Doncic History During Bulls Game
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Mar 13, 2026, where it first appeared in the NBA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.