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[Saba Sports News] The Los Angeles Lakers seemed to think something wasn’t quite right about Luka Doncic’s ejection on Thursday night.
Doncic was tossed from the Lakers’ road matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after a strange sequence in the fourth quarter.
Following a basket, Doncic appeared to direct some trash talk at a courtside fan. But referee J.T. Orr, who was standing near the fan, assessed a technical foul—seemingly under the impression that Doncic’s comment was aimed at him.
Earlier in the third quarter, Orr had already hit Doncic with a technical for something he said during play. With the second tech in the fourth, Doncic was automatically ejected.
After the game, Lakers forward Jarred Vanderbilt made an eyebrow-raising claim about Orr. Vanderbilt said that after the first technical on Doncic, which prompted pushback from the Lakers, Orr allegedly told them he would “talk to anybody but Luka.” Vanderbilt, who also received a technical for taunting OKC’s Alex Caruso after Doncic’s ejection, said he felt the calls against Doncic were “personal.”
Crew chief Tony Brothers later told reporters that Doncic’s first tech was for using profanity toward an official, while the second was for using vulgar language while looking directly at one.
Whatever the case, the momentum shifted sharply after Doncic was tossed. The Lakers were leading 108-107 at the time but unraveled, allowing the Thunder to go on a 29-12 run and close out a 136-120 win.
As for Orr, now in his 13th season and with nearly 600 NBA games under his belt, he’s the latest official to draw accusations of anti-Lakers bias — and this one is sure to spark debate.