Why Luka Doncic Suspension Is Good News For Los Angeles Lakers

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Los Angeles, CA – March 27: Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77, winks and points to a player after a play in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Friday, March 27, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Luka Doncic of the Los Angeles Lakers has been suspended for one game by the NBA for receiving his 16th technical foul of the season, hitting the threshold that allows the league to suspend players for a single contest.

Doncic, the NBA’s leading scorer and a top MVP candidate this season, will have to remain careful and not receive another technical foul in the final few games of the regular season, which could result in further suspensions.

However, while on the surface, the fact that the Lakers are going to miss their franchise star for one game might be a cause for concern, especially during his historic run and MVP award push, it might not all be bad news for Los Angeles.

Luka Doncic Suspension Could Be Good News For Lakers

GettyLos Angeles, CA – March 27: Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77, reacts to a referee’s call in the second half against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Friday, March 27, 2026. For the second time in less than a week, Luka Doncic faces a one-game suspension because of technical foul accumulation. Doncic finished with 41 points, eight rebounds and three assists in the win.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Doncic is suspended for the Lakers’ game against the Washington Wizards on Monday night. While he won’t play, and LeBron James and Austin Reaves will take on a bigger role, there are a few reasons why not having the Slovenian isn’t a big cause for concern.

Firstly, it’s against the Wizards, who currently hold a 17-57 record and are just a half game ahead of the Indiana Pacers for the worst record in the NBA.

As the Lakers have been 13-2 in the month of March and have surged up the Western Conference standings, chances of them losing, even without Doncic and on the road, remain unlikely. Not impossible, but not likely.

Going off that, the game is also the first of a back-to-back, as Los Angeles will play the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. Having Doncic available for that game over the one for Monday feels like a much better option, considering the Cavs are 46-28 and already beat the Lakers earlier in the season.

They have a strong one-two punch with Donovan Mitchell and James Harden in the backcourt, meaning L.A. would likely prefer to have their duo of Doncic and Reaves back to combat guard the scoring attack from their opponent.

Another reason why Doncic’s suspension isn’t a terrible thing is that he is near the top of the NBA in minutes per game, currently playing 36 minutes a night, which is fourth in the league. That number has jumped up to 37.3 in March amid his historic stretch, and that would be tied for second in the NBA.

Rest is key in the current era of the league, and Doncic could use it at this point in the season

Giving the superstar a bit of rest is never a bad option, while also not having him against the Wizards on the first night of a back-to-back is just a few reasons why the suspension, which admittedly could become a big issue down the line, shouldn’t draw major worries from the Lakers right now.

His missing one game also likely won’t impact his status for end-of-season awards, as Doncic needs to play in just three of the Lakers’ last eight to qualify for the NBA’s 65-game rule.

Luka Doncic MVP Odds This Season

GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – MARCH 18: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts against the Houston Rockets during the second half at Toyota Center on March 18, 2026 in Houston, Texas.

In 62 games, Doncic is averaging 33.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists, and 1.6 steals on 47.6/36.6/77.6 shooting splits, while the Lakers are third in the West with a 48-26 record.

He has been on a tear in March, all while Los Angeles has shot up the standings, currently with a solid grip on the third spot in the West.

Currently, at least according to most major sportsbooks, Doncic ranks third in MVP odds, behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama.

Despite his historic scoring stretch, his MVP odds have actually dropped over the past week, as he’s now third but was previously second, only behind the Oklahoma City Thunder star. In a recent MVP ladder on NBA.com, he was fourth, behind the other two favorites and Nikola Jokic.

“Yeah, hopefully, but the better I play, the more I go down in ratings, so I don’t know what more I can do,” he said when asked about the NBA.com MVP ladder.

Doncic had finished third in MVP voting in the 2023-24 season, which was the highest of his career. While the Slovenian winning the award this season is unlikely at this point, he still has an outside shot to take home the trophy for the first time in his career.

Eli Gregorski is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy Sports. He has years of sports writing experience covering the NBA, NFL, college football and basketball, international soccer, and Formula One. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder, where he was the assistant sports editor for the award-winning CU Independent student publication. More about Eli Gregorski