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Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic was ejected a few minutes into the fourth quarter of Tuesday's 136-120 road loss to the first-place Oklahoma City Thunder. The 2023-24 scoring leader made a go-ahead bucket and proceeded to talk trash at a fan. An official, perhaps thinking the remark was directed at him, gave Doncic his second technical of the game, resulting in his automatic dismissal.
The Lakers (48-31) need two wins to secure the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, but the 26-year-old's abrupt exit might delay their pursuit a bit. OKC (65-14), a team that has struggled against Doncic since last year, went on a massive 29-12 run following his ejection. LA could have garnered significant momentum for itself if it was able to best the Thunder in back-to-back contests.
Even so, the excitement level for this possible playoffs matchup is rising. Doncic finished with 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. He also tallied five assists, three rebounds and one block in 31 minutes. The Lakers' locker room can move forward knowing that they were giving the championship favorites all they can handle before losing one of their offensive savants.
Fans might need a minute before putting this one in the rear-view mirror, however. There were strong reactions aplenty following Doncic's removal.
Luka Doncic has been ejected from Lakers-Thunder after picking up his 2nd technical foul 👀
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 9, 2025
The NBA-watching world weighs in
“Nobody watching after Luka got ejected,” @Bossston617 joked on X. “He talkin to a fan… cmon bra,” former VCU player Mike'L Simms remarked. “Last week of the regular season and ofc the official gonna make it about them,” @nxxvvxxn griped.
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Others took a different stance on the matter. “Luka should never have put himself in that situation,” @lightweaver4U commented. “Luka shouldn't be talking to anyone with a tech already,” @Speedy7773 noted.
However the Lakers and their fans may feel in the aftermath of the official's decision, it is crucial to have a short memory during this time of the year. Too much is on the line.
The squad is playing with intensity and confidence, emboldened by the dangerous trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. But they must quickly shake off this defeat and get mentally focused for an emotional face-off with the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday.
How will Luka Doncic feel in Lakers-Mavs clash?
The upcoming road game will mark Doncic's first appearance in the American Airlines Center since the Mavs traded him in early February. The five-time All-NBA First-Teamer always plays with fire, as illustrated by the aforementioned fan interaction, but this next showdown should be downright surreal. Officials are less likely to give him the benefit of the doubt given his history of vehemently arguing calls, so extra awareness will be required in such a spirited environment.
Once he inevitably receives an outpouring of support from the fan base, a majority of which was gutted to see him blindsided by the organization, Doncic is sure to be overcome with conflicted feelings. Still, he and the Lakers have a job to do. Following a bitter finish against the Thunder, their collective sense of urgency should be quite high in Dallas.
