LOS ANGELES – Luka Doncic picked up his 15th technical foul of the season amid more interaction with the referees during the Los Angeles Lakers' 120-113 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday. Another technical foul and Doncic would automatically receive a one-game suspension. But amid their interactions on the court, Lakers head coach JJ Redick believes Doncic's competitive fire is second to none.
Before the Lakers' game against the Indiana Pacers on Friday, JJ Redick explained how he will go to battle with Doncic every night.
"He's a special type of player, a special type of person and a special type of competitor," Redick said during his pregame press conference. "I'd prefer someone who's going out every night and trying to kill, rather than someone who you literally have to revive with a defibrillator every other day. I'd take Luca all day."
Doncic's latest interaction with the referee resulted in a technical foul that was somewhat puzzling. Jamal Murray hit a 3-point shot in transition, and one of the officials immediately called a technical foul on Doncic, despite him not even looking the referee's way as he walked back onto the court.
Doncic was incredibly heartbroken by what happened, and was not given a full explanation until after the game via the pool report. Crew chief Ed Malloy explained that the technical foul on Doncic actually occurred before the game, but officials called for the defense not to stop the transition play for the technical foul. The argument was that Doncic had used profanity toward officials earlier in the play.
The Lakers have 19 games remaining in the regular season after Friday's matchup against the Pacers. Teams will definitely have to be aware of Doncic's technical fouls and reactions during the final stretch of the year. Once the playoffs arrive, the technical foul count is reset, but suspensions begin early with seven.
Doncic is in the running for the MVP award this season, his first full year with the Lakers. Coming into Friday's game, he had appeared in 50 games averaging just over 35 minutes per game. He is averaging a league-leading 32.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.6 assists and 1.4 steals while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 35.8 percent from the 3-point line and 77 percent from the free-throw line.
Doncic is also leading the NBA in 3-point shot attempts (3.7), 3-point shot attempts (10.2) and free-throw attempts (10.3).
