On Thursday night the Lakers beat the Bulls, 142-130, thanks to an outstanding performance from Luka Dončić.
The Slovenian superstar passed the 50-point mark for the first time with Los Angeles, recording 51 points on 17-for-31 shooting from the floor along with 10 rebounds and nine assists. The breakout night could not have happened at a better time for the Lakers. Chicago kept it close throughout because the Lakers’ defense wasn’t operating at nearly as high a level as the offense, but the purple and gold need every win they can get in a tight Western Conference playoff picture, and Dončić delivered. The win was even sweeter as it came in LeBron James’s return to the lineup, quieting some lineup questions that had arisen in Hollywood of late.
The contest also included a lot of back-and-forth between Dončić and Bulls sophomore Matas Buzelis. Buzelis is rounding into form as a solid player in his second NBA season and has consistently demonstrated he will not back down from anybody. This includes Dončić, apparently. Starting in the second quarter the two opponents started talking quite a bit to each other.
Luka has words for Matas Buzelis after the stepback trey 🗣
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 13, 2026
Doncic is one technical away from an automatic suspension.pic.twitter.com/cMpQDODafo
Dončić is one of the league’s most notorious trash talkers and was happy to oblige Buzelis.
Luka after scoring over Matas Buzelis. 🤣💀
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) March 13, 2026
(h/t @MindOfBron)
pic.twitter.com/56aVW4UapQ
Dončić was playing well to start, but from the fan’s view, it appeared that he took his game to a whole other level once he began to engage with Buzelis in a war of words. Dončić confirmed that’s what happened after the game, giving Buzelis credit for launching his game into another stratosphere. He also noted the whole dialogue surprised him because he didn’t say anything to spark it; Buzelis just came at him.
“In the second quarter, I kind of felt it,” Dončić said when asked when he felt it would be a special night. “Somebody started talking to me, woke me up... Matas Buzelis. I was surprised. I was shocked.
“I'm not gonna say what he said. If I would say that, I would definitely get a tech. But these games, some times you go in easy, and we kind of went easy in the first quarter. Then [the trash talking] woke me up.”
Luka: "Somebody started talking to me so that woke me up. Matas Buzelis. I was surprised. I was shocked. I'm not gonna say what he said. If I would say that, I would definitely get a tech. It woke me up. I didn't say nothing, that's why I was surprised. Not very nice" 😂 https://t.co/6YaSyUXMBe pic.twitter.com/411XMOZLVV
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) March 13, 2026
Basketball players are a competitive bunch but sometimes it is unwise to poke the bear. It sounds like Buzelis took that message to heart.
“I don’t even know what to say, honestly,” Buzelis said after the game about Dončić’s performance. “I mean, he started killing, obviously, when I started talking to him. I just... As you said, I don’t back down from anybody, no matter who you are. I took on the challenge and didn’t execute.”
The young Bulls forward was then asked what he hopes to take away from the game.
“Um... Probably not to talk to him.”
Matas Buzelis on Luka Doncic: "What was my take? ... I don't even know what to say, honestly. He started killing obviously when I started talking to him."
— Law Murray 🕯️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) March 13, 2026
Asked about the experience: "Probably not to talk to him." pic.twitter.com/sDV75OaFG8
The honesty is appreciated. And it is the right takeaway based on Dončić’s career. The superstar is always a very good player but ascends to a higher plane of basketball existence when he gets into it with whoever has the misfortune of lining up across from him that day. Some players are unlocked by the thrill of competition even beyond winning a professional basketball game, and Dončić is very much in that category.
Dončić’s coach, JJ Redick, spoke on that concept during his own postgame availability last night.
“It’s a unique trait,” Redick said. “It’s not just the fact that he responds to rough play or trash talking. It’s that he can channel it. He can channel it while still doing all the other things that needs to be done. That’s obviously reflected in his defensive rebounding, his assists, his steals. Another game where he gets a high assist number with low turnovers.
“He’s playing as well as anybody in the NBA right now.”
JJ Redick on Doncic channeling Buzelis chirping:
— Benjamin Royer (@thebenroyer) March 13, 2026
“It’s a unique trait. It's not just the fact that he responds to a rough play or trash talking. It's that he can channel it, and he can channel it while still doing all the other things that needs to be done.”
Q @DanWoikeSports: pic.twitter.com/3qXufidurH
Buzelis was not the first Dončić opponent to learn this lesson. He won’t be the last, either.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Dončić Taught Matas Buzelis Harsh Lesson About Trash Talking in 50-Point Lakers Explosion.
