Luka Dončić’s recent technical foul has been overturned. The NBA rescinded the technical foul that the Los Angeles Lakers star received in the second quarter of Monday’s 138-117 victory over the Miami Heat at Crypto.com Arena. The league reviewed the call on Tuesday and decided to nullify it.
With this change, Dončić now has only one technical foul through eight games this season. The technical was given after Dončić reacted to an official’s call, which led to a candid exchange on the broadcast in which Dončić questioned the referee, saying, “I clapped. That’s a technical? Come on now. If it was anybody else, you know it’s not a technical. Come on now.”
Following the foul, Klay Thompson made the free throw, cutting the Heat’s deficit to five points at that moment. When asked about the technical after the game, Dončić chose not to elaborate.
Dončić finished the game with 42 points, 13 assists, and seven rebounds. Over his last five games, he has averaged 43.4 points per contest, including an impressive 52-point performance against the Utah Jazz last month. The Lakers currently hold a 6-2 record for the season.
Dončić has struggled with technical fouls in the past, having been suspended last season after accumulating 16 technicals—a threshold that results in an automatic one-game suspension. He posted 15 technical fouls in each of the past three seasons and recorded 13 so far in the 2024-25 campaign.
Two other NBA players have already reached three technical fouls this season: Golden State’s Draymond Green, who was ejected Monday during a win over the Phoenix Suns, and Houston’s Jabarai Smith Jr. Given that it is still early in the regular season, Dončić has plenty of time before he risks another suspension. The rescinding of Monday’s technical foul certainly provides him some added leeway moving forward.
Fan Take: This decision is significant because it helps preserve the momentum and focus of one of the league’s brightest stars without unnecessary distractions. For basketball fans, it signals that the league is willing to reconsider critical calls, promoting fairness and protecting the flow of the game.
Source: sports.yahoo.com
