LeBron James Says Luka Doncic Was 'Going Back and Forth' with Fan Before Ejection

Los Angeles Lakers Luka Dončić was ejected in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder after receiving his second technical foul for jawing with a referee, though Dončić claimed he was actually talking trash to a fan.

After the game, LeBron James backed up his story.

"I don't know why the ref was taking it personal. He had already given Luka one [technical foul]. Luka knew that. Luka was going back and forth at that time with a fan that was sitting courtside, like Luka does," he told reporters after the 136-120 loss. "Fans get to talk s--t, talk out of their minds, whatever the case may be, and Luka was going back and forth and the ref took it upon himself to think it was versus him, or whatever the case may be."

The Lakers held a 108-107 lead with 7:40 remaining in the fourth quarter at the time of the ejection. The entire game shifted from there, with the Thunder closing the contest on a 29-12 run.

"It was a great game that, unfortunately, didn't get to sort of finish out the way that I think every basketball fan would want because of some decision making on some individual's parts," head coach JJ Redick told reporters after the contest.

Crew chief Tony Brothers said in the pool report that Dončić was assessed his second technical foul because he "looked directly at an official and used vulgar language."

Dončić doubled down after the game, however, telling reporters he was only speaking to a fan.

"You can see it, how it happened," he said. "I've never gotten a fan ejected, never, but if you're gonna talk, I'm gonna talk back, like always. So that had nothing to do with the refs. I didn't really understand."

Whether the Lakers would have held on to beat the Thunder with Dončić still on the court is impossible to say, but they certainly fell apart without him. A win would have not only been the team's second win against the Thunder this week, but it also would have secured an automatic playoff berth.

At 48-31, the Lakers are still currently the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference, a game up on the Denver Nuggets. But the team now has to play the second half of a back-to-back on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks before finishing the season at Houston on Friday and at home against Portland on Sunday.