Los Angeles Lakers coach JJ Redick was among those unhappy with how the end of Tuesday's game against the Oklahoma Thunder played out, in part due to the refs' controversial decision to eject Luka Doncic in the fourth quarter.
The Lakers lost valuable ground in the playoff hunt in the West with a 136-120 loss to the Thunder on Tuesday in a back-and-forth contest that was tight until midway through the fourth quarter. The Lakers were up 108-107 with roughly seven and a half minutes left when Doncic picked up his second technical for seemingly jawing at an opposing fan in the stands.
Referee J.T. Orr seemed to think Doncic was yelling at him, which led Orr to give Doncic his second technical leading to his ejection. Doncic picked up his first tech in the third quarter when he was arguing a no-call, and he finished his early night with 23 points, three rebounds and five assists.
In a postgame press conference, Redick shared his distaste for how much the refs impacted the game by tossing out Doncic.
"It was a great game," Redick told reporters. "That, unfortunately, didn't get to sort of finish out the way that I think every basketball fan would want because of some decision-making on some individuals' parts."
JJ Redick on Luka Doncic’s ejection, says game couldn’t end the way basketball fans would’ve wanted. pic.twitter.com/ziZamecP0X
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) April 9, 2025
Redick added that he hadn't yet received an explanation for Doncic's ejection: "Apparently he said something to a fan.”
It likely wasn't coincidental that after Doncic got thrown out, the Thunder went on a 24-8 run to close out a big win over the Lakers. Oklahoma City looked far more like a dominant team down the stretch with MVP contender Shai Gilgeous-Alexander putting up a game-high 42 points and the team as a whole shooting 48.6% from beyond the arc.
Fans will never know whether the outcome would have been different had Doncic stayed in the game. The Lakers dropped to 48-31 after the loss and hold just a one-game lead over the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 3 seed.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as JJ Redick Confused by Luka Doncic Ejection That Ruined Lakers-Thunder Ending.
