Luka Doncic won’t be suspended after all.
Just a day after Doncic’s 16th technical foul went viral, the NBA has decided to rescind the call on the Los Angeles Lakers superstar that would have caused him to miss Tuesday’s showdown against the Eastern Conference top-seed Detroit Pistons. It’s a timely decision, but fans believe the referee’s judgment during the game was purely unjust.
Words were exchanged between the Slovenian sensation and Orlando Magic big man Goga Bitadze, and the heated altercation resulted in technical fouls handed to both players. After the game, Doncic revealed that Bitadze had gone out of line and that he couldn’t take what the Georgian forward was saying about his family.
However, Bitadze refuted the claims, stating that Doncic barked first and he just responded. The technical foul was sensational and sent waves across the internet while the Lakers were appealing the decision to the NBA. It was nothing more than a heated exchange between two players jawing at each other, and that didn’t really warrant a technical foul.
Fortunately, after careful review, the league rescinded the call. That 16th technical foul would have automatically given Doncic a one-game suspension and might have disrupted the Lakers’ momentum so far. This isn’t the first time, as Doncic had similar instances back in April 2021 and then in March 2023, when he was handed a technical foul after a referee thought he was shouting toward an official. It turns out, Doncic was
What It Means for Luka Doncic and the Lakers
The 27-year-old All-Star had just climbed up the MVP ladder this week, so much so that some pundits believe he might even give Shai Gilgeous-Alexander a run for his money as the clear frontrunner for the prestigious award.
As for the Lakers, they need their superstar right now more than ever, as they are on an all-out assault on the standings. They’ve been on a hot streak in the past month, securing 12 of their last 13 contests and winning nine straight games since March 7. During that stretch, Doncic averaged 40 points, 7.4 assists, and 8.4 rebounds per game, including a 60-piece highlight against the Miami Heat last week.
For a team that was barely holding on to being slightly above .500, the Purple and Gold are now 46-25, the third-best record in the Western Conference. With Doncic’s suspension called off, Los Angeles will be much more prepared against a Cade Cunningham-less Detroit Pistons on March 24 and perhaps extend their win streak to 10 before getting stronger momentum in the playoffs.
