The NBA has officially rescinded a technical foul called on Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić on Tuesday, the league announced Wednesday. The foul, which was Dončić’s second of the game, resulted in Dončić getting ejected in the Lakers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dončić was hit with the foul after a back-and-forth with a courtside fan during the fourth quarter. An official heard a comment from Dončić and mistakenly thought that it was aimed at him.
A pool report following the game confirmed that Dončić’s second foul was assessed by referee J.T. Orr because “he looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.” Orr had also handed Dončić his first tech because of profanity aimed at an official.
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But Dončić and the courtside Thunder fan both maintained that the comment was aimed at the fan, not Orr. The fan, Jeremy Price, told ESPN’s Dave McMenamin that he had heckled Dončić, and that the Lakers star had shot an expletive back at him.
Dončić said postgame that the comment “had nothing to do with the refs.”
The ejection squashed the Lakers’ momentum: Prior to Dončić leaving the court, the game was incredibly close. But the Lakers started to fall apart throughout the end of the fourth quarter, with the Thunder pulling away for a 136-120 win.
Wednesday is set to be another dramatic night for the Lakers, as Dončić will be returning to play the Dallas Mavericks for the first time since the blockbuster trade that sent him to Los Angeles.
