Luka Dončić was ejected in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s NBA matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers as he was given his second technical foul in a dramatic turn of events. Not only did it spark controversy, but it also changed the match that had been a closely fought affair into of affair.
What Happened on the Court?
With 7:40 left in the fourth quarter, Dončić put up a tough layup and was given an ejection that gave the Lakers a 108–107 lead. He then seemed to speak with a courtside fan a moment later. The officiating crew received vulgar language to the head from the comments of Dončić, ruled referee J.T. Orr. Under NBA rules, a second technical leads to an automatic ejection.
Already with two technical fouls for the evening for arguing a missed call on teammate Jarred Vanderbilt, Dončić promptly left the game after receiving a technical foul in the third quarter for arguing for a no-call against him.
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Doncic’s Explanation as to Why He Was Talking to a Fan
Dončić was quick to clarify that his comments weren’t directed at the refs, but at a courtside fan, later identified by the Thunder as superfan Jeremy Price. “I never got a fan ejected. They paid for tickets. Well, ‘I had enough,’” Dončić said. “I don’t mind, it’s a little bit of frustration, it had nothing to do with the refs.”
Price confirmed the interaction, with the only contact Dončić generated in the game being a shout of an exploded word towards the player after the taunt to the player for a missed shot. But according to referee J.T. Orr, the language was directed at him, and he issued the second technical foul.
Officials and Teammates Disagree
After the game, crew chief Tony Brothers backed the decision in a postgame pool report that Dončić ‘looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.’ Dončić’s defense contradicted that, as did the debate as to whether Orr had misread the situation.
Lakers stars LeBron James and Jarred Vanderbilt also chimed in, with James claiming, “The ref took it on himself to think it was about him, and the game kinda got weird after that.” “He (Orr) said he told Dončić — and Orr wasn’t fond to tell me this, but I’ll paraphrase what I was told — he’d say, ‘I’ll talk to anybody but you (meaning the Dončić deal) already started to get tense,’ ” Vanderbilt said.
Impact on the Game
The ejection of Donćić had an immediate effect. Quickly, the Lakers unraveled, who had been in control. Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had 42 points in a 28–11 run that closed the game on a 136–120 victory that moved the Thunder to 14–0. La Lakers’ loss was not only bad for their momentum but put the playoff seeding hopes in jeopardy.
His 14th technical foul of the season keeps Dončić two away from an automatic one-game suspension per NBA rules. It comes at a timely moment with the Lakers seeking a top-three seed in the West.
Dončić, who has still called Dallas home since being there prior to his blockbuster trade there this past offseason, returns next for the first time back to Dallas. Emotions will be running high, and there will be no hiding from how he copes under pressure or from officials.
