Chicago Bulls at Los Angeles Lakers
· National Basketball Association
Luka Doncic scores 51, LeBron James returns from injuries to lead Lakers past Bulls 142-130
Doncic scored 50 points for the first time as a Laker following the blockbuster trade that sent him from Dallas to Los Angeles in February 2025. It was Doncic’s 13th 40-point game in 82 appearances for Los Angeles, moving into ninth in franchise history.
Austin Reaves chipped in with 30 points, Deandre Ayton had 23 points and 10 rebounds for his 20th double-double of the season, and the Lakers’ four-game winning streak is their longest since running off seven in a row Nov. 14-30.
Los Angeles moved ahead of the idle Houston Rockets into third place in the Western Conference.
Josh Giddey scored 27 points and Matas Buzelis had 22 for the short-handed Bulls, who have alternated wins and losses over their past six games following 11 straight losses in February.
James started off sluggish after being sidelined by a right hip contusion and arthritis in his left foot, picking up his only points of the first half on a layup and free throw for a three-point play with 54 seconds remaining. The sequence sparked James, 41, and he made all five of his shots from the field in the third quarter to finish with 11 points in the period.
Giddey and Buzelis combined to go 10 for 20 from 3-point range, finding their shot in the second quarter and keeping the Bulls in striking distance for most of the game. Chicago ended up 15 for 36 from deep.
Lakers: Host the Nuggets on Saturday.
Regular Season Series
LAL win series 2-0
Recent Plays
| 4th 0.0 |  |
End of Game | 130 - 142 |
| 4th 0.0 | |
End of the 4th Quarter | 130 - 142 |
| 4th 9.7 |  |
shot clock turnover | 130 - 142 |
| 4th 33.7 |  |
Leonard Miller makes running layup | 130 - 142 |
| 4th 38.4 | |
Leonard Miller defensive rebound | 128 - 142 |
Statistics
 CHI |
 LAL |
|
|---|---|---|
| 51-95 | FG | 55-99 |
| 54 | Field Goal % | 56 |
| 15-36 | 3PT | 17-36 |
| 42 | Three Point % | 47 |
| 13-16 | FT | 15-21 |
| 81 | Free Throw % | 71 |
| 41 | Rebounds | 41 |
| 12 | Offensive Rebounds | 14 |
| 29 | Defensive Rebounds | 27 |
| 34 | Assists | 31 |
| 7 | Steals | 9 |
| 3 | Blocks | 4 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 9 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 1 |
| 16 | Total Turnovers | 10 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 1 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 17 | Points Conceded Off Turnovers | 18 |
| 24 | Fast Break Points | 13 |
| 66 | Points in Paint | 72 |
| 18 | Fouls | 15 |
| 7 | Largest Lead | 22 |
| 10 | Lead Changes | 10 |
| 13 | Percent Led | 81 |
Los Angeles Lakers Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Luka Doncic, G | Out | May 6 |
Chicago Bulls Injuries
| NAME, POS | STATUS | DATE |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Giddey, G | Out | May 13 |
| Rob Dillingham, G | Out | Apr 23 |
| Isaac Okoro, F | Out | Apr 11 |
| Matas Buzelis, F | Out | Apr 11 |
| Anfernee Simons, G | Out | Apr 10 |
Game Information
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Attendance: 18,794 · Capacity:
Detroit
Cleveland
Milwaukee
Indiana2025-26 Pacific Standings
| TEAM | W | L | PCT | GB | STRK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 LA Lakers |
- | 29 | W3 | 0.64634144 | 53 |
 Phoenix |
8 | 37 | W1 | 0.5487805 | 45 |
 LA Clippers |
11 | 40 | W1 | 0.5121951 | 42 |
 Golden State |
16 | 45 | L3 | 0.4512195 | 37 |
 Sacramento |
31 | 60 | L1 | 0.2682927 | 22 |
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