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Luka Doncic, left, is congratulated by LeBron James after making a three-pointer during the second half of the Lakers’ 142-130 win over the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday night. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
In this game of \u201che said, he said,\u201d Luka Doncic<\/a> got the last laugh.<\/p>\n Doncic, fueled by trash talk from his opponents Thursday, recorded his first 50-point game with the Lakers, checking out with 1:41 remaining to a standing ovation with 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Lakers to a 142-130 win<\/a> over the Chicago Bulls.<\/p>\n The Lakers<\/a> (41-25) jumped into third place in the Western Conference with their seventh win in their last eight games, climbing from sixth in just one week despite not having LeBron James for the last three games.<\/p>\n Read more:Lakers’ Luka Doncic in a custody dispute for his two daughters with his former fianc\u00e9e in Slovenia<\/a><\/p>\n James, returning from elbow and hip contusions sustained in a fall<\/a> against the Denver Nuggets on March 5, had 18 points with seven rebounds and seven assists. Austin Reaves<\/a> scored 30 points with seven assists to reach 5,000 career points, and Deandre Ayton<\/a> had his second consecutive double-double with 23 points and 10 rebounds.<\/p>\n The Lakers let the struggling Bulls (27-39) go on a 12-3 run to tie the score at the end of the first quarter but started to heat up when Doncic scored 10 consecutive points in the second quarter. The streak signaled to the six-time All-Star he was going to have one those nights.<\/p>\n \u201cSomebody started talking to me,\u201d Doncic said, \u201cso I woke up.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked who antagonized him, Doncic paused to scan the stat sheet in front of him.<\/p>\n \u201cMatas,\u201d the Lakers superstar said after five seconds. \u201cBuzelis<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n The 21-year-old forward had 22 points and six rebounds for the Bulls, who were led by 27 points and 15 assists from Josh Giddey<\/a>. Doncic hit a one-legged midrange fadeaway over Buzelis midway through the second quarter and pointed toward the Bulls forward. He drained a three over Buzelis a minute later and turned his head toward him while running back on defense. When he used a screen from Ayton to get past Buzelis and kissed the ball off the backboard on a left-handed finger roll, Doncic gestured toward Buzelis again.<\/p>\n The second-year former first-round draft pick didn\u2019t even have to be on the floor to face Doncic\u2019s wrath. After Doncic hit a pullup free-throw line jumper with 2:52 left in the second quarter, he pointed to Buzelis, who was standing at the scorers table.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fun and it\u2019s funny at the same time,\u201d Reaves said of Doncic\u2019s trash talk, \u201cbecause half the time I don\u2019t even know what the hell he\u2019s saying. It\u2019s never in English. \u2026 He\u2019s a competitor at the end of the day and he wants to win as badly as anybody. When somebody goes at him, we like the aggression he plays with and how he channels it. So I\u2019ll continue to do that to try to make him mad.\u201d<\/p>\n Doncic, who speaks English, Spanish, Slovenian and Serbian, doesn\u2019t need any extra motivation. The NBA\u2019s leading scorer has averaged 40.3 points in the last four games, all Lakers wins. Since Jan. 1, Doncic is shooting 40.4% from three-point range on 10.4 attempts per game. On the same average of attempts, Warriors star Stephen Curry is shooting just 38.4% from three during that span.<\/p>\n Lakers star Luka Doncic shoots over Bulls forward Jalen Smith (25) in the second half Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n After spending much of his first season with the Lakers in a stunned funk following the blockbuster trade that shipped him out of Dallas, Doncic has tried to revive his joyful style this year. He has embraced his sarcastic sense of humor with teammates and staff. He and Reaves have a running bit that they aren\u2019t actually friends at all, and after Doncic came up short of a 50-point game earlier this season by missing a late free throw against Minnesota, teammates teased him relentlessly.<\/p>\n He calmly hit two late free throws for his 50th and 51st points Thursday as Lakers fans showered him with chants of \u201cMVP.\u201d<\/p>\n Doncic\u2019s ability to not only respond to trash talk but to channel it while maintaining his all-around level of play is \u201ca unique trait,\u201d Lakers coach JJ Redick<\/a> said.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe,\u201d Doncic said with a smirk, \u201cthat’s what made me a little bit good at basketball.”<\/p>\n Luka Doncic shoots a three-pointer over Bulls forward Jalen Smith during the Lakers’ win Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n The Lakers are 8-4 since the All-Star break with a 119.9 offensive rating compared to their 116.3-point mark prior to the break. Their four-game winning streak includes two of their most impressive wins of the season. Consecutive victories over the New York Knicks and the Minnesota Timberwolves put the Lakers back in the contender conversation.<\/p>\n James called the offensive chemistry between Doncic and Reaves during the last three games \u201cmagical.\u201d Fitting back into the scheme after his absence, James focused on setting screens for the short-handed frontcourt that was without Jaxson Hayes<\/a> (back soreness) and Maxi Kleber (lumbar back strain). He locked in on defense to make up for a hip injury that kept Marcus Smart sidelined.<\/p>\n James didn\u2019t take a single shot attempt in the first quarter. He didn\u2019t score his first points until 54 seconds left in the second quarter, helping the Lakers finish the half on a 5-0 run to take a five-point halftime lead.<\/p>\n Lakers star LeBron James, center, drives between Chicago’s Rob Dillingham, left, and Matas Buzelis during the second half Thursday. (Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n The 41-year-old came alive in the third quarter, beginning with his dunk off a hit-ahead pass from Doncic. He returned the favor by diving out of bounds for a steal on the next possession and the save led to a three-pointer from Doncic.<\/p>\n As the Bulls called timeout less than a minute into the third quarter, Doncic said a few extra words to Buzelis after he hit a three over Buzelis\u2019 extended arm. Still early in his NBA career, the experience provided a valuable lesson for the 21-year-old.<\/p>\n \u201cProbably not to talk to him,\u201d Buzelis told reporters from his locker.<\/p>\n Sign up for our weekly newsletter on all things Lakers.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Lakers](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5f7723c45694365e2161b0045a228017.jpeg\"\/)
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