By ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic had 51 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists, LeBron James added 18 points in his return after missing three games because of injuries and the Los Angeles Lakers used a strong third quarter to defeat the Chicago Bulls, 142-130, on Thursday night, March 12.
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.
Meanwhile, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander broke Wilt Chamberlain’s record for consecutive games with 20 points or more, scoring 35 points in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 104-102 win over the Boston Celtics.
Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren was fouled on a rebound with 0.9 seconds remaining and made two free throws to break a 102-all tie. Boston’s Payton Pritchard missed a long 3-pointer as time expired.
Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 20 in 127 consecutive games, topping Chamberlain’s mark that had stood since 1963. He hit a midrange jumper with 7:04 left in the third quarter that gave him 21 points and tied the game at 69-all. He finished with nine assists and six rebounds and made 13 of 18 field goals.
The Thunder won their seventh straight game — all since Gilgeous-Alexander returned from an abdominal strain that kept him out of the All-Star Game.
Jaylen Brown scored 34 points for the Celtics. Boston’s Jayson Tatum sat out as he works his way back from surgery to repair his right Achilles tendon. He’s played in three games since his return, including Tuesday’s loss at San Antonio.
The matchup of the defending champion Thunder, who have the league’s best record, and the 2024 champion Celtics, who are second in the Eastern Conference, was tight throughout.
