Luka Doncic. Image via: Jamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images
The Los Angeles Lakers avoided a major setback at a crucial point in the season after Luka Doncic escaped a one-game suspension tied to his 16th technical foul. It appeared to be a costly moment in a tight 105-104 win over the Orlando Magic, which quickly turned into a turning point after the NBA reviewed the incident and ruled in favor of the Lakers’ appeal.The decision reset Doncic’s technical count to 15, keeping him eligible for the upcoming clash against the Detroit Pistons. The reversal also added another chapter to a pattern in his career, where similar situations have been overturned before.
What happened between Luka Doncic and Goga Bitadze ?
Tension rose late in the third quarter when Luka Doncic and Goga Bitadze got into a verbal exchange during a free-throw sequence. Referee Marat Kogut issued double technical fouls with 1:19 left after both players continued talking despite a warning.
“I’m definitely hoping [it is rescinded],” Doncic said after the game. “Obviously, I let my team down getting that last tech. But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. [Bitadze] said at the free throw, he would f**k my whole family. And at some point, this is a basketball court. At some point, I just can’t stand it. I got to stand up for myself. But I know I got to do better.“My teammates, I know they have my back, so I let them down today.
But hopefully, it gets rescinded.”Officials later clarified that both players were warned before the second free throw but continued the exchange, leading to the calls. Despite the incident, Doncic finished with 33 points and eight assists, helping extend the Lakers’ winning streak to nine games.
What did Goga Bitadze say about the altercation?
Bitadze pushed back on Doncic’s version, offering a different explanation of how the situation unfolded. Speaking after the game, he insisted he was reacting, not initiating.“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done,” Bitadze said. “And I really respect everybody’s family. Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s families, and I would never directly say that. He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia, I understand.“I don’t know if he knew I understood what he said. So, I just said it back. And it was nothing towards his family or anybody.
His family, I really, truly respect them.”When asked to clarify further, Bitadze added: “He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate. We don’t say that stuff during the game. … So I just said whatever he told me or [about] my mother [and] said it back.”“It was just in the heat of the moment. I heard what he said, and I felt like I had to respond the same way. So, from my side, if he feels like I said something too much or crossed the line, I apologize as a man. I can take [accountability], but I didn’t say anything, but what he said.”After reviewing the exchange, the NBA rescinded technical fouls for both players. The decision keeps Doncic on the floor, though he remains one technical away from suspension.
