Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
Luka Doncic defended a female referee after an exchange with a fan.
Luka Doncic helped identify a fan to security following a bizarre incident with a female referee during a game between the Lakers and Kings. His actions led to the patron’s ejection.
Doncic stood up for the official after she was belted by a basketball thrown from the crowd. It didn’t sit right with the Los Angeles superstar.
It’s not often we highlight positive exchanges between players and refs. Typically, there’s a dispute. A foul wasn’t seen. The wrong call was made.
But on Wednesday, we had quite the opposite.
The interaction came late in the third quarter of play with the Lakers holding a double-digit lead. Ultimately, it ended the fan’s night early as he was escorted from his courtside seats and out of the venue.
Luka Doncic stands up for female referee.
With under three minutes left to play before the start of the fourth quarter, a ball was deflected out of bounds on a Sacramento offensive possession. Malik Monk drove to the hoop for a contested floater. It fell harmlessly to the ground.
The ball rolled into the front row of the crowd. A fan picked it up and fired it at the referee on the baseline while she wasn’t looking. It was unnecessary.
Doncic noticed. He immediately turned to the fan and asked, “What are you doing?”
His response grabbed the attention of security, who quickly approached the fan and asked him to leave.
I’m not sure if the fan was upset with the score, the result of the play, or the fact that a foul wasn’t called. Regardless, he reacted poorly in the moment.
Doncic was later asked about the exchange in the postgame. He recalled his message to the fan when speaking to the media.
“He just tossed (the ball) really strong toward the ref. I just asked him what the h— he was doing.”
-Luka Doncic
The play had a major impact on the attendee’s evening as he lost his pricy spot on the floor to be ridiculed online. It had very little impact on the outcome of the game, though.
Los Angeles dominated.
Particularly in Quarters 2 and 3. The Lakers outscored the Kings by 13 points in those two periods. It would ultimately prove to be the difference in a 116-103 victory.
The offense was led by Luka Doncic, who paced all scorers with 40 points. He connected on 11 of his 23 shots including six three-pointers. He also made 12-of-13 free throws.
It was Doncic’s third-straight night with at least 40 points. He’s currently scoring at a clip of 38.5 points per night and has the Lakers sitting at 7-2 through nine games.
He kept the momentum rolling in the win over Sacramento. He picked up a pair of ‘Ws’ with his defense of the female referee.