Luka Doncic explodes with 51 points against the Bulls

Luka Doncic put on an offensive clinic Thursday at Crypto.com Arena. Against the Chicago Bulls, the Lakers star compiled 51 points, 10 rebounds and 9 assists, leading his team to a convincing 142-130 victory. This performance marks his first 50-point game in a Lakers uniform, more than a year after the trade that brought him from Dallas to Los Angeles in February 2025.

The Slovenian was remarkably efficient, converting 17 of his 31 field goal attempts, including an excellent 9/14 from 3-point range and 8/9 from the free throw line. This offensive explosion is his 8th career 50-point game and the first since the 2023-2024 season, when he scored 73 points. His previous record with the Lakers was 49 points on October 24 against Minnesota.

Luka Doncic vs Bulls:
– 51 Points
– 10 Rebounds
– 9 Assists
– 72.9 TS% pic.twitter.com/8X5ye3ODTc

— Laker Performances (@LALPerformance) March 13, 2026

LeBron James’ return and collective momentum

LeBron James returned after missing three games due to elbow and hip contusions suffered on March 5 against Denver. The King contributed 18 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, starting slowly before heating up in the third quarter with 11 points in the period. Austin Reaves also shined with 30 points and 7 assists, surpassing the 5,000 career points milestone.

This victory allows the Lakers (41-25) to claim third place in the Western Conference, ahead of Houston who were resting. JJ Redick’s team has now won four consecutive games and seven of their last eight, an impressive surge.

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For the Chicago Bulls (27-39), Josh Giddey scored 27 points and Matas Buzelis 22 points, but the Chicago team couldn’t match the Lakers’ offensive intensity. Ironically, it was Buzelis who woke up Doncic according to his own words: « In the second quarter, I could feel it. Someone started talking to me, so it woke me up… Matas, I was surprised… I hadn’t said anything to him. It wasn’t very nice. »

Coach JJ Redick was full of praise for his star player: « He’s playing as well as anyone in the NBA right now. We probably don’t talk about it enough, but I’m going to talk about it. » With an average of 40.2 points over the last four games, all victories, Doncic confirms his status as a serious MVP candidate and places the Lakers in excellent position for the playoffs.