Luka Doncic credited team cohesion for the Lakers’ 129-118 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Monday at the United Center. “I think just staying together. You know, everybody just staying together,” Doncic said. “We talked about a lot of things, how we want to approach the game better. That’s what we’re doing right now. We staying together. I think everybody’s having fun out there.”
Doncic acknowledged balancing his scoring with playmaking. “I think I was just being aggressive, you know. See what the defense gave you. I said probably JJ is going to be mad. I took 25 shots. So he would tell me to pass more. I’m kidding,” he said. “But other than that, the whole bench was awesome today. They helped us a lot. They lift us up in the second quarter in the third when we were going down. So props to them.”
On his passing creativity, Doncic discussed embracing “heat checks” through assists as well as shots. “Yeah, I feel it,” he said. “Sometimes you make a couple nice passes or have a few assists, you want to throw one with a little bit more razzle-dazzle on it, see what you’re feeling that night or in that moment.”
Doncic also looked ahead to the return of Austin Reaves. “Better for sure,” he said. “He gives us three I say decision makers on the court. They have great talent and we can’t wait to have him back. He’s been working out. I saw him. I think he wants to be back too. So we’re excited for him to be back.”
The All-Star detailed how he decides when to play off the ball. “There’s no specific time when I need to come off the ball,” Doncic said. “Sometimes probably there’s more ATOs after the timeouts, I come off the ball. But there’s no specific time when I need to come off the ball.”
Doncic’s 46 points, 11 assists, and seven rebounds led the Lakers past Chicago, who closed to 81-80 midway through the third quarter. Los Angeles responded with a Marcus Smart three-point play, two Doncic free throws, and a Rui Hachimura three to restore control.
The Lakers shot 56 percent from the field and 48 percent from deep, including 16-of-33 three-pointers, with LeBron James adding 24 points and Hachimura scoring 23 on 9-for-11 shooting. Chicago had six players in double figures, led by Coby White with 23 and Ayo Dosunmu with 20 points.
Los Angeles improved to 3-1 on its eight-game road trip and will face Cleveland on Wednesday, while the Bulls travel to Indiana. Doncic emphasized that the team’s recent success stems from unity and shared effort. “Everybody’s having fun, staying together,” he said. “That’s why it’s working right now.”
