NBA suspends Lakers’ Doncic one game after 16th technical foul of season

Luka Doncic’s red-hot run of play will have to take a one-game pause.

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has been suspended one game by the NBA after receiving his 16th technical foul of the regular season.

By NBA rule, a player or coach is automatically suspended one game after receiving their 16th technical foul of the regular season. For every two additional techs received during the regular season, a player or coach would then be suspended an additional game.

Doncic received tech No. 16 on Saturday in the Lakers’ win over the Brooklyn Nets. Doncic was assessed a technical foul midway through the third quarter after he and Nets forward Ziaire Williams got into an altercation. Doncic and Williams were seen talking before a light shove from Doncic prompted Williams to swing his arms back at the Lakers guard in response.

“He was yelling in my face three times,” Doncic said after the game. “I just wanted to get out of there. It’s a double tech, of course. What can I say? I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. (The referee) said my push was exaggerated, which (it) was obviously not. I don’t know what else to say.”

Officials reviewed the incident before issuing technical fouls to both players.

Doncic previously avoided the same fate when a technical foul he received earlier in the month — after an altercation with Orlando Magic forward Goga Bitadze — was later rescinded.

He wasn’t as lucky the second time, however, and now Doncic will have to watch from the sidelines when his Lakers host the Washington Wizards on Monday.

The Slovenian superstar had been on a tear of late, scoring at least 30 points in 12 consecutive games, including back-to-back performances of 40-plus in his last two outings.

Doncic is averaging a league-leading 33.7 points per game to go with 7.8 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.6 steals, and his play has helped propel the Lakers into the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed heading into Saturday.

— with files from the Associated Press