NBA Notes: Lakers, Luka Doncic, Bulls, Matas Buzelis, Sixers

Lakers

The Lakers got four full days off, came into Utah with fresh legs, and needed all of it.

They survived a late push from the Jazz and left Salt Lake with a 108-106 win, moving to 12-4 and looking like a team that knows how to handle the tight ones.

Luka Doncic ran the whole show. Thirty-three points, 11 boards, eight assists and a handful of plays that made everything easier.

“We didn’t play our best game and we still found a way to win,” he said, via Khobi Price of the Orange County Register. “That’s what great teams do.”

The Lakers led wire-to-wire and even held a double-digit lead with a little over 3 minutes left. Then the offense went flat. One make the rest of the way.

Utah kept chipping until a Lauri Markkanen three cut it to one. But the Lakers closed it out with a split at the line and one last stop.

Meanwhile, LeBron James is still working his way back from sciatica and the altitude didn’t help. He finished with 17 points, eight assists and six rebounds, then admitted this stretch feels like his personal training camp.

“The only way to get back in basketball shape is to be playing,” he said.

Austin Reaves added 22 and 10. Rui Hachimura scored 13. Maxi Kleber gave them a huge lift after Deandre Ayton exited with a knee contusion, even sprinting coast to coast on one play to free up Doncic for a corner three.

“One of the best players on the floor for us,” Reaves said.

Bulls

Matas Buzelis keeps taking steps forward. Ten pounds of muscle over the summer. A tougher mindset. A bigger role.

And Billy Donovan said he loves how Buzelis is embracing the grind.

“He leans into it and he’s eager to improve,” Donovan told reporters, via Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The numbers support it. Fourteen points. Nearly six boards. A block and a half. All in under 28 minutes.

Buzelis said he’s getting the opponent’s best defender most nights and likes the target on his back. A second-year guy wanting the smoke is never a bad sign.

Sixers

The Sixers are still patching lineups together and Sunday’s loss to the Heat brought something new.

Paul George started, but came off the bench in the second half after Coach Nick Nurse wanted him matched up with Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr.

George is only three games into his return from knee surgery, so the rotation is still fluid.

One bright spot was Jared McCain. Fresh legs, cleaner rhythm, and a season-high 15 points in 26 minutes.

He missed a big chunk of time with injuries early, so this felt like a step forward. Exactly what Philly needs while it waits to get healthy.

The Sixers lost, but there were some encouraging pockets for a group that knows it’s nowhere near whole.