Matas Buzelis reveals how he poked the bear by talking trash to Luka Doncic

Matas Buzelis reveals how he poked the bear by talking trash to Luka Doncic originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Chicago Bulls standout Matas Buzelis is known to be quite assertive with his performances and his approach to the game. He is unafraid of any matchup in the league, but it has come back to bite him at times. This includes an instance of him feeling the brunt of Luka Doncic's wrath.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar is one of the most dangerous players in the league. At any point, he can explode for a bunch of points in the span of a few minutes, and it seems that is what Buzelis experienced when he talked some trash to the perennial MVP candidate.

Buzelis is still a young player, as he is entering his third NBA season. Throughout his two seasons with the Bulls, he has had plenty of standout moments and performances. However, there are some games where he can get outplayed by his opponent.

Playing against the Lakers is a tough test because they have to guard Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Back then, LeBron James was also there, so they had a triple-headed monster of offensive players who are difficult to play against.

MORE: Matas Buzelis managed to break a Michael Jordan scoring record that went unnoticed

Doncic is probably the toughest matchup there, and Buzelis made the mistake of talking trash to him. It was a reality check for Buzelis because he was legitimately outplayed by the Lakers superstar, so he learned a lesson not to poke the bear with Doncic.

"I mean, we're, in Chicago, that's nothing that's all day, you guys talk sh!t, but that's just, how I was raised up to play basketball and he wasn't really on anything that game, like, at first, I don't really wanna get into detail, cause it was some really, like, nasty things said, but he just started, he started baking me," Buzelis said on the Cousins show with Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady.

"In the media, I was saying, I was saying, I'm probably not gonna trash talk again to him. But I really don't care, like, I'm gonna do it again."

Of course, Buzelis learned a lesson, but he will be doing it again. That is his style, and it is a challenge for him to talk some trash while also playing well. It might be a double-edged sword, but it seems he is ready to take on the challenge.

• The reason why Jeannie Buss is contesting the vote to sell the remaining stake in the Lakers
• The Lakers are not projected as a top team after LeBron James' exit
• Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers are put on notice ahead of the 2026-27 season
• Derrick Rose speaks about why Caleb Wilson is a potential superstar for the Bulls
• The Bulls have gone through a fresh start, but a problem still remains for the team