The Los Angeles Lakers slumped to a 120-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets last night in a key Western Conference clash. Star guard Luka Doncic tried to rally his team into a comeback win with a xxx performance, but a poor first quarter proved too costly for the Lakers to overturn despite a strong performance.
This was a win the Lakers needed, and that desire reflected on the court as well, especially with Doncic.
Doncic is known to be an emotional player on the court, often jawing at rivals and referees during games. This tendency has gotten him into trouble multiple times over his career, as he appraoches the the team's last 21 games with a proverbial knife hanging over his head.
Doncic received a technical foul during the loss to the Nuggets for cursing at the referees, his 15th of the season. This means even one more technical this season will lead to a one-game suspension for the Slovenian star at a point the Lakers can't afford to be without him.
The NBA shared the official reason for Doncic's technical during the post-game Pool Report with crew chief Ed Malloy, laying out why they dealt with that situation the way they did, especially after coming under fire for waiting for the end of a Nuggets possession to make the call.
QUESTION: "What did Luka Doncic do to warrant a technical foul? It appeared the referee waited until after a transition possession to call it. Why was there a delay?"
MALLOY: "Doncic was issued a technical foul for using profanity directed towards a referee. We are trained not to stop an offensive transition when calling a technical foul on the defense."
Doncic is aware of the trouble he could be in with another technical foul. He's been in this position during past seasons with the Dallas Mavericks as well, but always found a way to control his temper down the stretch of the season. Hopefully, he can do the same here as the Lakers hope to make noise in the playoffs this season.
The loss meant the No. 6 seed Lakers fell 1.5 games behind the No. 5 seed Nuggets in the standings instead of temporarily moving ahead of the 2023 NBA Champions, who were without key starters like Aaron Gordon.
Doncic is averaging 32.3 points, 8.6 assists and 7.8 rebounds this season. He's considered a fringe MVP candidate as well, but that case is hard to see if the Lakers finish outside the top-three seeds in the West.
Even if his MVP goals remain unfulfilled, Doncic will hope the Lakers can get going for the playoffs and be a dark horse contender in the West.
They host the Indiana Pacers tonight on the second leg of a back-to-back, hoping to shake off their loss to the Nuggets with a win against the worst team in the Eastern Conference.
