What "Full Effort Doncic" looks like, I finally witnessed it today.

The Lakers’ away game against the Bulls easily recalls some bad memories. Last season at this venue, the Bulls scored 9 points in the last 12 seconds, including Giddey’s buzzer-beating midcourt three. Today, the Lakers nearly became a joke again.

LeBron was outstanding in the first half, quickly reaching 20 points, making him the first NBA player in history to score over 20 points in a half after turning 41. The Lakers led the Bulls by 20 points at halftime, and although the Bulls quickly cut that lead by 7, the Lakers still held a 13-point advantage at the break.

In the second half, the Lakers collapsed, and the Bulls went on a run that cut the gap to just 1 point. The Lakers’ 20-point lead came quickly but disappeared even faster. The main reason was that the Lakers could run transition offense in the first half, but the Bulls reduced turnovers in the second half, shutting down the Lakers’ fast breaks. Coupled with struggles in half-court offense, this season’s scoring droughts mostly come from situations like this.

In such critical moments, a superstar is needed to break the deadlock, and the Lakers "just happen to have" one of the league’s best isolation players, Luka Doncic. In the third quarter, Doncic scored 20 points with 3 rebounds and 2 assists, hitting 4 of 6 three-pointers, all in a streak of consecutive shots.

As he kept sinking threes, his body completely relaxed, which was followed by various cross-court passes. Today, he even delivered a stylish long pass from the right side of the court to the left, smooth and effortless.

In the final quarter, Doncic added another 9 points, totaling 29 points in the entire second half. He shot 15 of 25 overall, 8 of 14 from three, finishing with 46 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists. Even the 6 missed three-pointers included at least two “gifts” to himself—casual, free-throw-like attempts.

Scoring 46 points with 7 rebounds, 11 assists, and 8 made threes is a feat only matched once in NBA history by Harden in 2016. This is the ideal version of Doncic in fans’ eyes: capable of scoring heavily, drawing double teams to create chances for teammates, and maintaining excellent overall efficiency. You could even say this was the best game Doncic has played so far in his Lakers career.

After the game, Doncic said: “The opponent’s double-team defense was inconsistent, and their defensive formations kept changing, so I took the initiative to attack, protect the paint, and create offense from there.” In other words, the Bulls’ double-team strategy was not executed firmly, giving Doncic many one-on-one opportunities, which he punished effectively.

Interestingly, exactly two years ago today, Doncic played 44 minutes and 43 seconds against the Hawks, shooting 25 of 33, 8 of 13 from three, and 15 of 16 from the free-throw line, scoring 73 points with 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 1 steal.

That remains the highest scoring record among active NBA players. With his shooting touch on fire and the Hawks being a competitive team, Doncic had a perfect stage to unleash his scoring ability. He also contributed 7 assists, showing that not every possession is about attacking the basket—this is part of Doncic’s playing style, balancing scoring and facilitating teammates.

A player like this was traded by his team just a year later, which is unbelievable no matter how you look at it. In 65 games with the Lakers, Doncic averages 31 points per game, and his Lakers career scoring has already surpassed 2,000 points. Scoring in the NBA is simply too easy for him.

Because his talent is extraordinary and his creativity outstanding, you have to allow him some freedom to experiment and give him some margin for error, since most of his attempts result in excellent positive outcomes. He won’t follow every coach’s instruction strictly; as a superstar, he has that privilege.

Doncic’s presence masks many of the Lakers’ problems. Without his 20-point quarter today, the Lakers likely would have collapsed again. The Lakers have won 4 of their last 5 games, with Doncic averaging 34.8 points over those games.

Even though they are still fifth in the Western Conference, the Lakers cannot yet be considered a strong team. They win with difficulty and lose decisively, their defense occasionally falls apart, and their three-point shooting remains among the league’s weakest. Their starting center, Ayton, has averaged only 5.7 points over the last four games, with a total net minus of 42 points when on the floor and a shooting percentage of just 34%.

But because of Doncic, you can trust his ability to carry the team when needed. After today’s game, Doncic said: “The opponent’s double-team defense was inconsistent, and their defensive formations kept changing, so I took the initiative to attack, protect the paint, and create offense from there.”

The Bulls’ double-team strategy was not firmly executed, giving Doncic many one-on-one chances, and Doncic showed fans exactly what “Full Effort Doncic” looks like.