Luka Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season on Saturday after exchanging heated words with Orlando Magic center Goga Bitadze, a call that carries major implications as it triggers an automatic one-game suspension.
During the third quarter, Doncic approached a referee and appeared to complain that Bitadze was directing below-the-belt remarks at him involving his family. He was also caught on the broadcast seemingly mouthing, “I will f**k you up.”
After the game, which the Lakers won 105-104, Doncic addressed the situation in his postgame press conference, visibly frustrated as he explained what led to his outburst.
“I let my team down getting that last tech,” Doncic said. “But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. He said at the free throw (line) he would f**k my whole family, and at some point, … I have 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 But, hopefully, it’ll get rescinded.”
Doncic finished with 33 points, eight assists and five rebounds. He struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just three of 13 attempts, while going 9-of-17 from inside the arc.
Doncic recently split with his ex-fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, with whom he shares two children, noting that he is unable to see them during the season as they are based in Slovenia.
Saturday also marked a big win for the Lakers, who prevailed at the buzzer as swingman Luke Kennard knocked down the game-winner with 0.6 seconds remaining.
Goga Bitadze Addresses Spat With Luka Doncic
After the game, Goga Bitadze gave his side of the exchange with Luka Doncic, saying he simply repeated the same words directed at him.
In a statement shared with ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel, Bitadze said:
“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done. I really respect everybody’s family. Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s family. I would never directly say that.
“He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language. I played in Serbia and I understand. I don’t know if he knew I understood what he said, so I just said it back. It was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them.”
The Lakers are now riding a nine-game winning streak, and Doncic’s status for the next game against the Detroit Pistons remains uncertain. If the technical stands, he will be suspended.
