DENVER — Luka Dončić was called for his 15th technical foul this season in Thursday’s 120-113 loss to the Nuggets. His next one will result in the Lakers star having to serve a mandatory one-game suspension.
Official Dedrick Taylor called the technical foul on Dončić after a no-call when Dončić thought Denver’s Bruce Brown fouled him. Play continued on the other end of the court, and after the Nuggets scored, Taylor whistled Dončić for the technical.
“I yelled at him I guess. That’s what he said. But I heard three other players say the exact same sentence and didn’t get a tech,” Dončić said. “And that’s my problem, you know, I was trying not to talk at all. This is the first thing I said, no warning or nothing. But I heard three other players say the exact same thing and nothing. So it’s just, you know… I don’t know what to say.”
Crew chief Ed Malloy told a pool reporter that the call was made “for using profanity directed towards a referee. We are trained not to stop an offensive transition when calling a technical foul on the defense.”
Dončić said he hoped the technical would be rescinded.
“I mean if three other people say it and I’m the only one that get a tech, what’s the point of that?” he said. “I really wasn’t trying to talk at all and that was the first thing I said.”
Coach JJ Redick said the Lakers have actively discussed limiting their interactions with officials. The team was called for three technical fouls in a tight win Tuesday against the New Orleans Pelicans. Pregame, Redick had mentioned Dončić was aware of how close he was to a possible suspension.
“He’s aware that he’s close,” Redick said. “And I think he’s trying.”
The Lakers were frustrated with the officiating in Denver, with the Nuggets taking 16 more free throws. LeBron James, who injured his left elbow after being knocked to the ground driving past Nikola Jokić, said officials told him the contact was “marginal.”
“It’s the same s—. ‘Marginal.’ It’s the same s—. It’s, it’s, it’s … whatever,” James said. “That’s all they keep saying is, ‘marginal.’ I’m so f—ing tired of that word. It doesn’t make no sense.”
The Lakers attempted just 15 free throws Thursday, tied for their third fewest in a game this year. Their 26.4 free throw attempts per game ranks third in the NBA. The lack of free throws, combined with a handful of missed layups and an awful start helped keep the Lakers from getting an important road win.
“I think the two things that sort of like if you look at the aggregate of the game, obviously just the start was detrimental to our team. But we missed four layups, plus a follow dunk. So that’s five layups in the second half,” Redick said after. “And I thought the refs were very consistent. Don’t think that we necessarily got fouled or not fouled and we weren’t fouling or not fouling. You lose free throws essentially by 14 because we were fouling at the end. The free throws by 14 and then the missed layups. That’s really what hurt us.”
