Luka Doncic scored 51 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 142-130 victory over the Chicago Bulls at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday. LeBron James added 18 points in his return after missing three games due to injuries.
The Lakers used a dominant third quarter to break the game open, with Doncic scoring 17 points in the period. Austin Reaves contributed 30 points, while Deandre Ayton added 23 points and 10 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season.
Doncic’s 50-point game marked his first 50-point performance as a Laker following his February 2025 trade from Dallas and the 13th 40-point game in 82 appearances with Los Angeles. The win extends Los Angeles’ streak to four games, their longest since a seven-game run from Nov. 14-30.
Josh Giddey scored 27 points and Matas Buzelis had 22 for the short-handed Bulls, who remain inconsistent after alternating wins and losses over the past six games. Chicago made 15 of 36 3-pointers, with Giddey and Buzelis combining to hit 10 of 20 attempts from deep.
James started slow in the first half, scoring only on a layup and free throw with 54 seconds remaining, but finished strong by making all five field goals in the third quarter.
The Lakers shot 56 percent overall and 71 percent from the line, while Chicago converted 54 percent of field goals and 81 percent of free throws.
The Lakers move ahead of the idle Houston Rockets into third place in the Western Conference, while Chicago falls to 27-39. Los Angeles will host the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, and the Bulls travel to face the LA Clippers on Friday.
