"I'm going to hit him" - Luka Doncic warns ref of his intentions after tussle with Bulls' $27,214,807 guard

Luka Doncic was furious after officials didn't punish the Bulls' physicality against him with whistles during Saturday's matchup. Doncic was involved in a tussle with Chicago's $27,214,807 guard Josh Giddey, but the refs ignored the call. Doncic expressed his displeasure right away after shoving the Bulls player with his left arm.

During a timeout, Doncic warned the referees of his intention after getting shoved. Here's what he said:

"He hits me first, I'm gonna hit him back. That's bull**t."

Here's Doncic's back-and-forth with Giddey, which led to a technical:

The Bulls raised their intensity in this game after taking a significant lead in the third quarter. Doncic and Co. weren't rewarded with calls as frequently, further fueling the superstar's irritation with the officiating.

Chicago even led by 15 points in the third quarter despite Doncic's hot shooting night. The Lakers had no answers defensively to limit the Bulls, who outhustled the Western Conference contenders.

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Luka Doncic's 34-point night in vain as Lakers suffer brutal loss against Josh Giddey's Bulls

Luka Doncic's 34-point night went in vain as the Lakers suffered a brutal 146-115 loss against the Chicago Bulls, despite fielding their healthiest lineup since Feb. 27. LeBron James and Rui Hachimura made their long-awaited returns from multi-week absences, but it didn't matter.

The Lakers collectively struggled defensively, leaking 74 points in the paint and 30 fastbreak points. LA's poor offensive execution led to its inefficient defense. The Bulls made the most of the Lakers coming out flat-footed after halftime, paying them for their weak rotations and lack of hustle.

The Lakers allowed the Bulls to shoot 58.3% on 11 more attempts and 19 of 41 from 3. Chicago made eight 3s in the third quarter alone. Josh Giddey had a historic night as he became the first player to post 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists and eight steals in a game, two steals shy of a quadruple-double.

Meanwhile, Coby White and Matas Buzelis dropped 36 and 31 points each. Apart from Luka Doncic, only Austin Reaves got going. Reaves had 25 points and five assists on 9 of 13 shots.

LeBron James had a forgettable return with just 17 points on 43.8% shooting, while Rui Hachimura could only produce five points off the bench in 17:55 minutes. The Lakers missed another opportunity at the second seed, dropping to 43-27. They are two losses behind the Rockets with 12 games left.