Bulls' Matas Buzelis talks lessons learned from the cold war with Luka

Buzelis held his own against Lakers star Luka Doncic, but came up short in the end.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 9:48pm

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In a game between the Bulls and Lakers, second-year forward Matas Buzelis found himself in a trash-talking battle with Lakers superstar Luka Doncic. Doncic got the better of Buzelis on the court, scoring 51 points to Buzelis' 22. However, the young Bulls player held his own and showed he's not afraid to challenge elite players, which is seen as a positive sign for his development.

Why it matters

The incident between Buzelis and Doncic highlights the growth and maturation of the young Bulls player. Going toe-to-toe with an all-NBA caliber player like Doncic, even if he ultimately came up short, shows Buzelis is willing to compete at the highest level and not back down from a challenge.

The details

Buzelis and Doncic engaged in some trash talk during the game, with Doncic later telling reporters that Buzelis "started talking" to him, which "woke him up." Buzelis denied starting the exchange, saying Doncic said something to him first and he had to respond. In the end, Doncic dominated the second half, scoring 27 points while Buzelis struggled, going 1-of-8 from the field.

  • The incident occurred during the Bulls' game against the Lakers on Thursday, March 13, 2026.

The players

Matas Buzelis

A 21-year-old second-year forward for the Chicago Bulls.

Luka Doncic

A superstar guard for the Los Angeles Lakers and an all-NBA caliber player.

Billy Donovan

The head coach of the Chicago Bulls.

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What they’re saying

“Someone started talking to me, so that woke me up.”

— Luka Doncic (suntimes.com)

“I'm not going to say what he said but if I would have said it, I would have gotten a tech.”

— Luka Doncic (suntimes.com)

“Is that what he said? Yeah, I'd rather not say what I said, but he said something to me first, so that's why I had to respond. I'm not going to say what he said either, but I felt like I was responding to what he said.”

— Matas Buzelis (suntimes.com)

“LeBron (James), Doncic, these guys are all-NBA, Hall of Fame players. Matas is a young guy. I thought he leaned into the challenge. I don't know about all the chirping or what happened there. Those guys are all competitive.”

— Billy Donovan, Head Coach, Chicago Bulls (suntimes.com)

What’s next

The Bulls and Lakers are scheduled to play again next season, providing a potential rematch between Buzelis and Doncic.

The takeaway

Buzelis' willingness to engage in trash talk and compete against an elite player like Doncic, even if he ultimately came up short, is a positive sign for his development and shows he's not afraid to challenge the best players in the league.