Tuesday’s battle between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers featured MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander battling LeBron James and Luka Doncic. But the most impactful figure was a referee.
Doncic scored to give the Lakers a 108-107 lead early in the fourth quarter, then drew his second technical foul and an ejection after he yelled at a Thunder fan sitting near the court. Perhaps thinking Doncic was cursing at him, the official kicked Doncic out.
That changed the game. Seconds later, the Lakers’ Jarred Vanderbilt blocked former Laker Alex Caruso’s shot, but received a technical after the play.
According to crew chief Tony Brothers, Vanderbilt got a technical for “verbally taunting” Caruso during a dead ball. Brothers also claimed Doncic “looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.”
The Doncic explanation was highly questionable, as he had no reason to be angry with an official after an uncontroversial play where he made a shot. Nevertheless, the calls were made and Gilgeous-Alexander sank free throws for each. When Lakers coach JJ Redick briefly rested James, the Thunder went on an 8-0 run during the minute he sat.
Austin Reaves scored 24 points in the 136-120 loss, but melted down after the Doncic ejection. He missed three free throws and turned the ball over twice in a stretch of 3:24. By the time Vanderbilt delivered a flagrant foul to Jalen Williams late, nearly sparking a brawl, the game was out of reach.
It was a disappointing ending to a matchup between two of the NBA’s best teams. The Lakers beat the Thunder Sunday night, 126-99, but without Doncic, the game lost a lot of its meaning and most of its drama.
Granted, the Thunder often go on extended scoring runs against teams, no matter how good they are. Gilgeous-Alexander scored 42 points and Williams rebounded from a disappointing game to put up 26.
But in a season where it felt like referees have had a hair-trigger with technical foul calls, an official Tuesday ejected Doncic in a situation he almost certainly misunderstood, despite the crew chief backing him up in the pool report.
The Lakers got robbed of their best offensive player. The fans were robbed of a rare treat: Meaningful late-season NBA basketball.
