Luka Doncic was in disbelief after he was ejected from Tuesday’s marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic drained a tough floater to give the Lakers a 108-107 lead with 7:42 left in the contest. As Doncic skipped back on defense, he shouted some trash talk toward a fan sitting courtside at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Referee J.T. Orr may have thought that Doncic’s choice words were directed at him because the veteran official assessed a technical foul against the Lakers star. Given that he had already been called for a technical foul in the third quarter, Doncic’s second technical foul meant he had been ejected.
LUKA EJECTED.
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 9, 2025
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Doncic tallied 23 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists before being tossed from the game.
The Luka ejection was a turning point for the Lakers as the team fell apart after losing their Slovenian star. The Thunder closed the contest on a 29-12 run to win 136-120.
The visitors were coming off a convincing 126-99 win over the Thunder in the same building two nights prior. Despite losing the rematch, JJ Redick’s squad is likely satisfied knowing that they can hang with the NBA’s best regular-season team.
With Los Angeles likely to finish as a top-4 seed, a Lakers-Thunder series in May seems like a real possibility.
