Nearly after a year after the shocking trade that sent him to the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic reminded the NBA how crazy it was for the Dallas Mavericks to deal him away.
Doncic scored 46 points with 11 rebounds and 7 assists in the Lakers’ 129-118 win over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on Monday night. It was his eighth 40-point effort of the season.
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Per the NBA, Doncic’s performance put him with Kobe Bryant as the only players in Lakers team history to tally 45 or more points, 10 or more assists and five or more 3-pointers in a single game.
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The scoring outburst began with 14 points in the first quarter. After a quiet second, Doncic exploded for 19 points in the third quarter. And he added 13 more during the final 12 minutes of the Lakers’ win. Doncic shot 15-for-25 from the floor, including making 8-of-14 3-pointers.
Following the game, Doncic said he wanted to be aggressive in looking for his shot. He joked that JJ Redick would be mad about how many shots he took after he was reminded that the Lakers coach told him to share the ball more.
“I think I was just being aggressive, see what the defense gives you,” Doncic told reporters. “I said, JJ’s probably gonna be mad I took 25 shots. He’ll tell me to pass more… I’m kidding.”
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Doncic has scored 30 or more points in four consecutive games and in five of his past six outings. The Lakers have won four of those six games, as well. He currently leads the NBA, averaging 33.8 points per game, and ranks third with 8.8 assists per contest.
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LeBron James added 24 points with 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Rui Hachimura scored 23 points off the bench. The Lakers improved to 28-17 with the win, just a half-game behind the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference’s No. 5 spot.
Coby White led the Bulls with 23 points, along with 5 points and 6 assists. Ayo Dosunmu contributed 20 points off the bench, while Josh Giddey added 19 with 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Nikola Vucevic scored 18 points with 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
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The defeat dropped the Bulls to 23-23 and missed an opportunity to hop over the Orlando Magic for the No. 8 seed in the East. The Magic lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers, 118-94.
