Not even the threat of an automatic suspension stopped Los Angeles Lakers superstar guard Luka Doncic from playing with some attitude, at least for a moment, in Thursday night's home game against the visiting Chicago Bulls.
During one possession in the first half, Doncic swung a step-back jumper past the outstretched arm of Bulls forward Matas Bouzelis in his face.
After missing a 3-point shot, Doncic turned to Buzelis and said a few words toward the Bulls forward as the two made their way to the other end of the court. Bouzelis also appeared to say something to Doncic, who smiled as he prepared to play defense.
You can watch their exchange here.
Luca has words for Matas Buzelis after stepback trey
Doncic is one technical away from automatic suspension.pic.twitter.com/cMpQDODafo
- ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 13 March 2026
Dončić is difficult enough to guard, and dealing with his antics can make the job even more difficult for anyone who tries to guard him. The thought of getting cooked by Doncic and talking trash every now and then can break a person, though that doesn't seem to be the case with Bouzelis.
If Doncic looked a little more confident than usual against the Bulls, it's probably because of what he did against them the last time the two teams met. In late January, the former NBA scoring champion gave Chicago 46 points on 15-25 shooting from the field with 12 assists and seven rebounds along with eight 3-pointers in 38 minutes of action in a 129-118 Los Angeles victory in the Windy City.
Doncic entered the Bulls rematch with season averages of 32.5 points, 8.5 assists and 7.9 rebounds.
