Lakers' Luka Doncic ejected in odd scene on eve of Dallas return - ESPN

OKLAHOMA CITY — Luka Doncic said he was trash talking with a courtside fan in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday when an official thought Doncic's ire was directed at him, leading to an ejection for the Lakers guard.

«I never got a fan ejected,» Doncic said, explaining how he will often engage with opposing fans without asking arena security to intervene. «Never. But if [the fan is] going to talk, I'm going to talk back, like always. That had nothing to do with the ref. So, I didn't really understand.»

L.A. led 108-107 with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter when Doncic was whistled for a technical foul by referee J.T. Orr, his second of the game. Orr also gave Doncic a tech in the third quarter, when Doncic argued that a foul call was missed when Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt was hit on the previous possession.

The Thunder finished the game on a 29-12 run to rout the Lakers.

«He thought I got fouled, which I did get fouled, I got slapped across the head,» Vanderbilt said of Doncic. «He was just telling the ref that that's what happened. And the ref was just like… 'I'll talk to anybody but you, Luka.' So, it seemed a little personal at that point.»

Crew chief Tony Brothers was asked about both technical fouls during a pool report after the game.

For the first, which came with 4:02 remaining in the third quarter, Brothers said Doncic, «directed profanity at a game official.» For the second, Brothers said Doncic, «looked directly at an official and used vulgar language.»

The fan, Jeremy Price, who referred to himself as «The Courtside Tattoo Dude,» told ESPN that Doncic was shouting at him and not the referee.

«During the game within the game, I mentioned