NBA rescinds second Luka Doncic technical vs. Thunder

NBA Rescinds Luka Dončić’s Ejection in Lakers’ Loss to Thunder

The NBA has rescinded the second technical foul that led to Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić’s ejection during Tuesday night’s 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The league made the decision Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Dončić was thrown out in the fourth quarter of a tight game.

The Lakers were leading 108-107 with 7:40 left when Dončić was called for his second technical foul by referee J.T. Orr. Dončić later clarified that he had been engaging in trash talk with a courtside fan, not the referee, when Orr mistakenly believed the comments were directed at him, resulting in the ejection.

The Thunder capitalized on the situation, finishing the game on a 29-12 run to seal the victory. Dončić expressed confusion over the call, stating, “I never got a fan ejected… if [the fan] is going to talk, I’m going to talk back, like always. That had nothing to do with the ref. So I didn’t really understand.”

Earlier in the game, Dončić had been assessed a technical foul in the third quarter after arguing a missed foul call involving Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt. Crew chief Tony Brothers addressed the situation in a post-game report, explaining that the first technical came after Dončić “directed profanity at a game official,” and the second occurred when he “looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.”

The courtside fan, Jeremy Price, who calls himself “The Courtside Tattoo Dude,” that Dončić’s comments were aimed at him, not the referee. Price explained, “During the game within the game, I mentioned that he was short [on his shot] and he missed it, and he turned around and shot an expletive back, and J.T. happened to see it.”

Price, who had previous exchanges with Dončić during last year’s playoff series between the Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks, speculated that the referee might have misinterpreted the situation. “That’s probably why he picked up that technical, to be quite honest,” Price added.

The ejection shifted the momentum in favor of the Thunder, who hold the league’s best record at 65-14. The Lakers, currently ranked No. 3 in the Western Conference, will face the Mavericks on Wednesday night, marking Dončić’s first return to Dallas since the blockbuster trade between the teams in February.