Luka Dončić accomplished something special with the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.
The star guard posted his first 50-point game with the franchise more than a year after the trade that landed him in Los Angeles, with 51 points on 17-of-31 shooting plus 10 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. And 8-of-9 on free throws, because that matters now.
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Overall, it’s Dončić’s eighth career 50-point game and first since the 2023-24 season, when he scored 73 points. Before Thursday, his scoring high with the Lakers was 49 points on Oct. 24.
The Lakers won the game against the Chicago Bulls, 142-130, giving them sole possession of the No. 3 spot in the West. Austin Reaves also had 30 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds, while LeBron James had 18 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds.
Lakers head coach JJ Redick’s analysis on Dončić:
“He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now. It’s probably not being talked about enough, but I’m gonna talk about it.”
Dončić also told reporters that it was Bulls guard Matas Buzelis who sparked him into action after some heated words:
“In the second quarter, I could feel it. Somebody started talking to me, so it woke me up… Matas, I was surprised… I didn’t say nothing to him. Wasn’t very nice.”
Of course, some Lakers fans might have preferred Dončić scoring 33 more points, anything to overtake Bam Adebayo’s historic 83-point night on Tuesday. The Lakers announcers certainly seemed affronted by how Adebayo overtook franchise legend Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game.