The Los Angeles Lakers were hoping to maintain the momentum they gained after defeating the OKC Thunder 126-99 on Sunday when they rematched with the No. 1 seeds tonight. Amid a competitive game, Luka Doncic saw his night come to an early end in the fourth quarter.
After an impressive play where Doncic dribbled past Isaiah Hartenstein for an impressive floater finish, the Slovenian guard turned around to talk trash with a Thunder fan. However, it seems the officials thought the insults were aimed at them, prompting Doncic to be thrown out of the game.
and yet again
Luka Doncic becomes the FIRST PLAYER IN NBA HISTORY TO RECEIVE A TECHNICAL FOUL FOR TALKING TO A FAN
FIRST EVERpic.twitter.com/UUAZPNm07w https://t.co/a9sCAy8ZFi
— 𝘾𝙤𝙖𝙘𝙝 𝙎𝙝𝙪𝙗𝙝 ⁶𓅓 (@OVOLakeShow) April 9, 2025
This should be unacceptable, honestly. The referee assumed he was the one being talked to and ejected Doncic by giving him his second technical.
When he realized he had made a mistake, he chose to stick with his decision instead of admitting his mistake. It’s a sign of cowardice, but we know NBA referees rarely keep their personal feelings out of a game.
A true referee would reverse the decision when they know it was called incorrectly, but that didn’t happen here. Instead, a competitive one-point game when Doncic was ejected quickly ballooned into a nearly 20-point win for the Thunder.
It handicapped the Lakers and ensured their decision to play their core players and starters went to waste, as their legs were cut out from under them in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers’ Big Three
kept the Lakers in the game for the longest time. LeBron James led all scorers with 28 points (8-19 FG) and seven rebounds. Austin Reaves had 24 points (6-12 FG) with five rebounds and five assists. Doncic tallied 23 points (7-15 FG) and five assists before his shocking and untimely ejection.
The Thunder saw the MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander score 42 points (14-26 FG) with six rebounds and six assists, while co-star Jalen Williams put up 26 points (11-21 FG). Lu Dort had an impressive 17 points (6-11 FG), while Chet Holmgren had 14 points (5-12 FG) and two blocks.
Doncic was ejected when the Lakers trailed 107-108 with over half the fourth quarter remaining. His departure negatively impacted the court enough that the Thunder went on an instant 24-6 run, ultimately defeating the Lakers 120-136 to pick up their 65th win of the season.
This was a very costly loss for the Lakers, who fall to 48-31 on the season and are within arms reach of teams from seeds No. 4 to No. 8, who are just half to one game behind the Lakers now.
