Luka Doncic, Lakers
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Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates in front of Jamir Watkins of the Washington Wizards.
The Los Angeles Lakers landed a major performance from their star guard, Luka Doncic, on Thursday, March 13.
Hosting the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers got LeBron James back in the mix for the first time in a few games. The return of the league’s all-time scoring leader was hardly a story once Luka got to work, though.
The Slovenian superstar checked in for 37 minutes on Thursday night.
Doncic shot 17-31 from the field and made 9-14 from beyond the arc. He scored 51 points, marking his first 50-point game in a Lakers uniform.
In addition to his scoring, Doncic came down with 10 rebounds and dished out nine assists. He was a plus-15 on the court, as the Lakers dominated the Bulls 142-130.
Luka Doncic Places Blame on Bulls Player For His Outburst
GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 10: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a dunk during the second half of the basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on November 10, 2025 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by David Jensen/Getty Images)
Every time Doncic steps on the court, he’s a major scoring threat. It’s been that way since his early days with the Dallas Mavericks.
On Thursday, one Bulls player in particular can take the blame for the outburst. Doncic revealed that the sophomore forward, Matas Buzelis, was responsible for ticking off the superstar scorer to the point where he destroyed Chicago’s defensive attack.
“It feels special, you know? In the second quarter, I kind of felt it. Somebody decided to start talking to me. That woke me up,” Doncic told reporters after the game.
“I was surprised—I was shocked. I’m not going to say what was said. If I were to say that, I would definitely get a tech. … I didn’t say nothing, that’s why I was surprised. [He talked to me first], not very nice. I was surprised.”
Buzelis has developed a reputation for playing with fire early on in his career. Sometimes, that comes with a price to pay. He clearly picked the wrong one on Thursday night.
Luka On Another Level
GettyPHOENIX, ARIZONA – FEBRUARY 26: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts during the second half of the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at Mortgage Matchup Center on February 26, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Lakers 113-110. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
JJ Redick credited Doncic for being one of the most consistently dominant players in the game this season.
The 50-point outing might’ve been Doncic’s first this season, and first as a Laker, but he’s been leading the league in the scoring category all year long.
In 53 games leading up to Thursday’s action, Doncic was averaging 32.5 points per game. Not only is he scoring at a high volume, but he’s doing it efficiently. Doncic is making 47% of his field goals and 36% of his threes this year.
Beyond his scoring, Doncic is nearly averaging a triple-double. The star guard is coming down with 7.9 rebounds per game, while dishing out 8.5 assists per outing.
When it comes to the MVP conversation, Doncic isn’t viewed as a favorite. However, he’s at least back in the talks once again. He last finished in the top three in voting after the 2023-2024 NBA season.
The Lakers’ guard will get a chance to build on his campaign again during the Lakers’ Saturday matchup against the Denver Nuggets.