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Los Angeles, CA – March 27: Lakers guard Luka Doncic, #77, celebrates a basket over the Brooklyn Nets in the first half at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles Friday, March 27, 2026. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Lakers have done a good job over the last couple of weeks working with the NBA. Luka Doncic has had a couple of technical fouls rescinded, which has been necessary to keep him on the floor. Doncic has been stuck at 15 technicals for a while.
Doncic has developed a reputation for being one of the biggest complainers in the NBA. He always seems to disagree with foul calls against him. Doncic also feels he gets fouled almost every time he goes to the basket. Because of that, he argues with referees.
Against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, Doncic picked up his 16th technical. The NBA has now reached its final decision with that ruling.
Luka Doncic Suspended for Lakers Game vs. Wizards
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the NBA has not decided to rescind his technical foul. That means that he will be suspended for one game. That game is on Monday against Washington. This is the first time that Doncic has been suspended this season.
Of all of the games left on Los Angeles’ schedule, this is the game that they would want him suspended for. The Wizards are one of the worst teams in the NBA. They should be able to win a game against Washington with Doncic on the bench.
The Wizards have the third-worst offense in the league. Neither Trae Young nor Anthony Davis will be playing in this game, so Doncic shouldn’t be needed to get a win. However, Doncic has to be careful in every game for the rest of the season.
For every additional technical foul Doncic picks up, he will be suspended for a game. That will reset once the playoffs begin, but the Lakers are in the midst of fighting for seeding. Right now, they sit third in the Western Conference standings.
Luka Doncic Needs to Control His Actions Better
Though his technical foul counter resets in the postseason, the Lakers need Doncic to get his actions under control. He is the best player on the team, and he can’t be getting suspended for playoff games because of accumulating too many technicals.
Los Angeles only has eight games remaining in the season. Doncic will only have the opportunity to play in seven of them. He needs to keep his cool in those seven games. The Lakers have just a 1.5-game lead over the Nuggets for the fourth spot, and just a 2.5-game lead over fifth-seeded Minnesota.
Keeping home-court advantage is key for Los Angeles. Also, avoiding the Thunder for as long as possible is preferable. Keeping Doncic healthy and on the court will help them stay in that coveted third seed. LA has the eighth-best offense in the league.
Los Angeles has the 15th-toughest remaining schedule, so they should have a good opportunity to at least stay in the top four. They have been playing their best basketball of the season over the past month, so they just need to keep Doncic on the floor and not arguing with the refs.
Ryan Stano Ryan Stano covers the NBA and College Football for Heavy.com. He has been covering sports since 2017, covering the NFL, College Football, College Basketball, and the NBA. His work has been featured on Yahoo, Bleacher Report, FanSided, and Sports Illustrated. More about Ryan Stano
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