March 12, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots against Chicago Bulls forward Matas Bouzelis (14) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Image Luka Doncic scored 51 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists, Austin Reaves added 30 points and the Los Angeles Lakers extended their winning streak to four games with a 142-130 win over the visiting Chicago Bulls.
DeAndre Ayton scored 23 points and 10 rebounds, LeBron James scored 18 points, and Rui Hachimura scored 15 points, and the Lakers recorded their 6th straight win and moved up to 3rd place in the Western Conference.
The game was Doncic’s eighth career game of at least 50 points and his first as a member of the Lakers. He was 17 of 31 from the floor and 9 of 14 on 3-pointers.
Los Angeles shot 55.6 percent as a team and won for the seventh time in its last eight games through February 28. The Bulls shot 53.7% from the floor.
Josh Giddey had 27 points with 15 assists and Matas Buzelis added 22 points as Chicago fell to 3-3 after an 11-game losing streak. Leonard Miller and Nick Richards each had 15 points for the Bulls, who are 2-2 in a five-game West Coast road trip that ends Friday.
Chicago was without Collin Sexton (leg), Anfernee Simmons (hand), Isaac Okoro (knee) and Patrick Williams (ankle). The Bulls lost both games to the Lakers this season after winning both games last season.
The Lakers led by 22 points in the third quarter, and the Bulls entered the fourth quarter with a 108-98 lead.
Chicago was within 115-108 with 8:45 left and Reeves hit a 3-pointer and a 15-foot turnaround for a 120-108 lead in Los Angeles with 7:50 left. A Doncic basket put Los Angeles ahead 130-112 with 4:56 remaining.
Doncic scored 17 points in the third quarter and 10 points in the fourth quarter, exceeding 50 points for the first time since scoring twice in the 2023-24 season.
The Bulls finished the first half with a seven-point lead in the second quarter before the Lakers took a 67-62 lead. Doncic scored 24 first-half points for the Lakers, and Bouzelis added 17 for the Bulls. In the first half, Los Angeles shot 52.8% and Chicago shot 51.1%.
–Field level media
