Lakers' Luka Doncic Says He 'Didn't Really Understand' Ejection in Loss to Thunder

A case of mistaken trash talk was at the center of Luka Dončić's fourth-quarter ejection in the Los Angeles Lakers' 136-120 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night.

Speaking to reporters after the game, Dončić explained he "didn't really understand" his ejection because his trash talk was being directed toward a fan sitting courtside.

"I never got a fan ejected," he said. "Never. But if [the fan is] going to talk, I'm going to talk back, like always. That had nothing to do with the ref. So I didn't really understand."

Dončić was given a second technical foul after making a basket, then turning around to say something to someone. Referee J.T. Orr was in his line of sight when he started jawing, so he assumed the verbal jabs were being directed toward him.

Dončić attempted to plead his case, but to no avail. Orr gave him his first technical foul earlier in the game for arguing a missed foul call when Jarred Vanderbilt got hit on the head by a Thunder player.

In the pool report after the game, crew chief Tony Brothers said Dončić's second tech was issued because "he looked directly at an official and used vulgar language."

The Lakers went up 108-107 on the basket Dončić made before he was ejected. They were outscored by Oklahoma City 29-12 over the final 7:40 without their star point guard.

Losing the game clinched the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference for the Houston Rockets. The Lakers are still in the driver's seat for the three seed, but they are only one game ahead of four different teams with three games remaining in the regular season.

Los Angeles will play the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks in Dončić's first game at American Airlines Center since being traded.