The Lakers will be without their scalding superstar for their next matchup on Monday night.
Luka Dončić, in the midst of a ridiculously hot stretch of scoring, has been suspended by the NBA for one game after earning his 16th technical foul of the season. Dončić earned the tech on Friday against the Nets in a back-and-forth with Brooklyn forward Ziaire Williams; the official announcement came down from the league on Saturday evening. He will not be in the building on Monday when the Wizards come to town.
Los Angeles has won 13 of its last 15 games as the team looks to strengthen its hold on the third seed in the West. Dončić missing any part of that pursuit is far from ideal. He is playing at an MVP level and many of the Lakers’ wins lately have come about due to his singular greatness. However, the schedule is forgiving in regards to his suspension—Washington is one of the tanking teams littering the NBA right now and will actively work to avoid winning on Monday. No win is a given in the Association, but there are far tougher opponents the Lakers could be seeing without Dončić.
The 27-year-old Slovenian superstar is averaging 33.7 points, 7.8 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game this season. He’s been putting up special performances throughout the last month, including a 60-point masterpiece against the Heat and a 51-point outing against the Bulls.
Now that Dončić hit 16 techincal fouls, his next suspension will automatically trigger if he earns two more technical fouls over the last seven games of the season. The counter resets once the playoffs begin, so all Dončić has to do is avoid picking up another pair of T’s between now and the end of the season.
How Luka Dončić earned his technical foul to trigger suspension
Dončić’s suspension-triggering tech came with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter of a 116-99 win over Brooklyn. He seemed to be jawing a bit with some Nets players and gave Williams a push as he was walking by. The Brooklyn forward responded by smacking Dončić in the chest. Their physical exchange led to a referee review, after which the decision was made to T up both players.
The sequence that led to Luka Doncic's 16th technical foul:pic.twitter.com/vkOKgd9JCx
— Underdog NBA (@UnderdogNBA) March 28, 2026
Afterwards Dončić defended himself, saying he didn’t talk any trash and was just trying to make his way out of a group of opposing players.
“[Williams] was yelling in my face—three times. I just wanted to get out of there,” the Lakers star said, per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “It's a double tech, of course. What can I say? I didn't even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. And they said I pushed, my push was 'exaggerated,' which [it] was obviously not. And I don't know what else to tell you.”
Dončić finished the night with 41 points. He’ll have to wait until Tuesday’s contest against the Cavaliers to take out any lingering frustration on the court.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Dončić Suspended for Next Lakers Game After 16th Technical Foul, NBA Announces.
