The Los Angeles Lakers had a blockbuster result against the Orlando Magic on Saturday night. Luke Kennard’s game-winner should be the biggest headline from the game, but Luka Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the season could overshadow that.
He had a verbal tussle with Magic center Goga Bitadze, which led to an outburst from the Slovenian star. It was not a random outburst at all because Luka heard something that he could not tolerate from his opponent. Now, he is hopeful that the context can help rescind the technical foul.
Doncic wants his 16th technical foul to get rescinded
Both Doncic and Lakers head coach JJ Redick have explained that they are not big fans of what happened between Luka and Goga. Most NBA players would love to focus on the game, but trash talk is normal among them during games.
However, it can go awry when it comes to throwing some personal digs. That was what happened between Doncic and Bitadze because apparently, the latter said a lot of harsh words toward the former. If it is true, it is done in poor taste, considering Doncic’s baggage off the court.
Amid all his fantastic performances, Doncic has been having a tough time personally. Unfortunately for him and his family, it has made the headlines, which is not a good thing. This bled onto the court because Bitadze allegedly alluded to it with his trash talk.
“Obviously, I let my team down getting that last tech. But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. He said he would f— my whole family, and at some point, this is a basketball court, and at some point, I can’t stand it. I gotta stand up for myself. But I know I gotta do better. My teammates, I know they have my back, so I let them down today, but hopefully it will get rescinded,” Doncic said after the game about his technical foul.
That is not a good look for Bitadze, especially if Doncic, Redick, and other Lakers players could verify what happened. Moving forward, it will be interesting how the NBA deals with this because it will require them to do a deeper dive on what happened and other potential instances.
