The Los Angeles Lakers racked up another victory by beating the Kings 116-103. In that game, Luka Doncic was brilliant once again. He finished with 40 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. He continues to play at an MVP level.
However, his play wasn’t the only story to come out of this game. Doncic also had a fan removed with 2:35 left in the third quarter. After the game, Doncic revealed why he decided that the fan should no longer be able to watch the game.
Lakers Luka Doncic Says a Fan Disrespected a Female Referee
Doncic says he had the fan removed because he threw the ball too hard at a female referee.
“He just tossed it really strong — the ball — toward the ref. I just asked him what the hell he’s doing.”
Video of the incident shows the fan aggressively throwing the ball back towards the referee, although she doesn’t seem to take offense. Doncic immediately reacted to the fan and said something to him. The fan was then escorted from his seat by Kings security.
It’s unclear what the fan’s reasoning was for throwing the ball as hard as he did. Doncic did not offer any further explanation for the interaction that he had with the fan. Doncic was making sure that the official was protected, and the game continued on.
This season, Doncic has been getting criticized for his behavior on the court, including complaining about calls. The Lakers have played nine games so far. In those nine games, Doncic already has two technical fouls. He was suspended last season for having too many technical fouls in a season, as he accumulated 16. Players are allowed to accumulate 15.
Because of that rule, Doncic was almost ruled ineligible for postseason awards last season. He had to have a technical rescinded in order to get awards consideration. The team is hoping he can avoid that issue this year so that he can stay on the court.
Luka Doncic is Off to the Best Start of His Career
Doncic’s play on the court has been incredible so far this season. He is off to the best start of his career. He is averaging 38.5 points so far, which is leading the league. In fact, he is 8.5 points higher than the next closest player, which is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
What is fueling his scoring has been his 3-point efficiency. He is shooting 43.1 percent from beyond the arc, which is by far the best mark of his career. His ability to launch almost any shot he wants on the court is helping the Lakers put together one of the best offenses in the NBA.
In fact, they have the best offensive rating in the league at the moment. If Doncic continues to play this way, there is no reason why LA won’t continue to have a top five offense throughout the season.
Luka Doncic Comments on Why He Had Fan Removed During Lakers Game