The NBA on Wednesday rescinded the second technical which led to Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic’s ejection in a road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.
The foul, which came at 7:40 of the fourth quarter and the Lakers leading 108-107, was “rescinded upon league office review,” the NBA announced on social media. The Lakers went on to lose 136-120.
Doncic appeared to say something to a courtside fan before he was called for the technical foul by referee J.T. Orr, who thought the trash talk was directed at him. Both Doncic and teammate LeBron James argued their case but to no avail and Doncic soon headed for the locker room.
“I never got a fan ejected,” Doncic said Tuesday night, explaining how he has engaged with opposing fans without asking arena security to intervene. “Never. But 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.”
Doncic, who picked up his first technical in the third quarter, finished with 23 points and five assists in 31 minutes.
Luka Doncic’s (LAL) technical foul at 7:40 of the 4th quarter on 4/8/25 (vs. OKC) has been rescinded upon league office review.
— NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) April 9, 2025
Crew chief Tony Brothers said in pool report after the game that Doncic’s first technical was because he “directed profanity at a game official.” The second came because Doncic “looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.”
ESPN reported that the fan, Jeremy Price, said that Doncic was yelling at him, not Orr.
“During the game within the game, I mentioned that he was short (on his shot) and he missed it, and he turned around and he shot an expletive back and J.T. happened to see it and, at that point, T’d him up,” Price told ESPN on Tuesday night.
The Lakers (48-31) entered Wednesday third in the Western Conference with a game that night against the Dallas Mavericks (38-41). It’s the first time that Doncic will play in Dallas since being traded. It also marks former Lakers star center Anthony Davis first game against his former team since the February trade that shook the league.
–Field Level Media
