Following the Lakers’ win over Orlando on Saturday, the team moved quickly to appeal Luka Doncic’s technical foul from the game.
If the call stands, it will result in a one-game suspension for Monday’s matchup in Detroit, as it was his 16th technical of the season.
After the game, Doncic claimed that Magic center Goga Bitadze had crossed the line during their exchange.
According to Doncic, Bitadze used profanity and made inappropriate comments about his family before both players were assessed double technical fouls.
The situation escalated after official Marat Kogut warned them to stop, but the verbal back-and-forth continued.
Bitadze offered a different perspective, saying Doncic had cursed at him in Serbian first, which he simply repeated.
“I don’t know if he knew I understood what he said. So, I just said it back. And it was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them.”
The Lakers’ appeal centers on the belief that both players should have received a clearer warning before being penalized.
However, crew chief Marc Davis stated in a postgame pool report that both Doncic and Bitadze had already been warned and continued taunting each other, leading to the double technical decision.
Lakers Appeal Technical Foul With Luka Doncic Facing Suspension Monday https://t.co/Su8HBYEutf
— RealGM (@RealGM) March 22, 2026
