Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Doncic was ejected from Tuesday night's game against the Oklahoma City Thunder midway through the fourth quarter after he received his second technical foul.
That call was made after Doncic turned and said something to a fan in the front row after making a tough shot. The ref, however, thought the message was directed at him and immediately tossed him from the game.
Following the game Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt spoke about referee J.T. Orr and his decision to hit Doncic with two technicals. Doncic picked up his first one in the third quarter after arguing that Vanderbilt got fouled and that a call should have been made. Vanderbilt thought Orr made things "personal" with Doncic and that led to the ejection.
"He thought I got fouled, which I did get fouled, I got slapped across the head," Vanderbilt said of Doncic. "He was just telling the ref that that's what happened. And the ref was just like ... 'I'll talk to anybody but you, Luka.' So it seemed a little personal at that point."
Jarred Vanderbilt says when Luka Doncic picked up his first technical foul, referee J.T. Orr said he would “talk to anybody but Luka.” Vanderbilt said that the techs Doncic received “seem personal” pic.twitter.com/v7UGsaO8JW
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 9, 2025
The Lakers ended up losing to the Thunder, 136-120.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lakers Forward Says Luka Doncic's Technicals Felt ‘Personal’ By Ref.
