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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.
Slovenian guard Luka Doncic avoided a one-game suspension after the NBA overturned his 16th technical foul of the season, accepting the Los Angeles Lakers‘ appeal to reverse a controversial officiating call during the third quarter of their 105-104 win over the Orlando Magic on Sunday.
While most fans and analysts believe the league did right by Doncic, given the reported circumstances that led to his technical, Skip Bayless argues that the NBA rescinded the technical to prioritize business interests and boost television ratings.
“Luka’s tech rescinded? Ridiculous,” Bayless wrote on X.
“He obviously started it with Goga, Goga responded in kind, then Luka escalated it all the way back up the floor. But the NBA obviously doesn’t want to lose its biggest ratings draw and gate attraction … who gets away with arguing every call.”
Luka Doncic Avoids Suspension
As Bayless alluded to, Doncic received a tech for a back-and-forth exchange with Magic big man Goga Bitadze when he was at the free-throw line on Saturday. On the court, both players received a pair of technical fouls for “unsportsmanlike” conduct, according to the league office. However, both fouls were rescinded the following day.
After Saturday’s game, Doncic revealed that Bitadze made inflammatory remarks about his mother and family members in Serbian, a language the Georgian center speaks after playing in Serbian leagues early in his career.
While Doncic did not regret yelling at Bitadze, he took responsibility for letting his teammates down by earning a 16th tech, which results in an automatic suspension.
“Bitadze said he would [expletive] my whole family,” Doncic told reporters.
“And at some point, this is a basketball court. At some point, I just can’t stand it. I got to stand up for myself. But I know I got to do better.”
Bitadze Claims Doncic Started It
The Magic big man told ESPN in a phone interview Sunday that he was only responding to trash talk from Doncic and never meant to insult the Lakers star’s family.
“I would never directly say that,” Bitadze said. “He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia, I understand.
“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.”
“He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate,” Bitadze added. “We don’t say that stuff during the game. So I just said whatever he told me or about my mother and said it back.”
When asked to clarify the nature of the trash talk, Bitadze said that Doncic insulted his family before he returned the favor.
“He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate,” he revealed.
“We don’t say that stuff during the game. … So I just said whatever he told me or [about] my mother [and] said it back.”
Bitadze added, “It was just in the heat of the moment. I heard what he said, and I felt like I had to respond the same way. So, from my side, if he feels like I said something too much or crossed the line, I apologize as a man. I can take [accountability], but I didn’t say anything, but what he said.”
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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