Lakers star Luka Doncic will be out for the team's next matchup against the East-leading Detroit Pistons. Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the year, which means that he will have to serve a mandatory one-game suspension.
Looked like Luka Doncic and Goga Bitadze were exchanging words while Luka was shooting FTs late in the 3Q.
Led to another back and forth before both were T'd up. https://t.co/gNBAwHYAAh pic.twitter.com/wAuNxxtzwl
— Khobi Price (@khobi_price) March 22, 2026
The technical foul occurred after Doncic and Magic big man Goga Bitadze traded words in the third quarter. Both players were assessed technical fouls, which put Doncic over the number that requires a suspension.
While the technical could be rescinded by the NBA, the moment draws attention to a conversation that has occurred around the six-time All-Star throughout the season. Doncic has picked up several technical fouls for arguing with officials, including his 15th on March 5 in the Lakers' 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
In postgame comments obtained by the Los Angeles Times, Doncic was candid about how he felt about the technical and advocated for a level of fairness in how the game is officiated.
“Just because I yelled at him, I guess. That’s what he said,” Doncic said regarding his moment with referee Ed Malloy on March 5th. “But I heard three other players say the exact same sentence and didn’t get a tech. And that’s my problem, you know, I was trying not to talk at all. This is the first thing I said — no warning or nothing.”
Doncic's suspension is significant as the Lakers look to test their status as contenders against the red-hot Detroit Pistons, who recently clinched a berth in the NBA playoffs for the second consecutive season.
