Dončić suspended one game
Luka Dončić drew a one-game suspension after accumulating his 16th technical foul in the Lakers’ 116-99 win over the Nets, a timing blow as L.A. jostles for playoff positioning. (bleacherreport.com)
An NBA office release dated March 28, 2026 and issued by James Jones specifies that Dončić will be unavailable for the Lakers’ March 30 home game against the Washington Wizards. (nba.com) The league record shows the technical in question was assessed with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter of the March 27 game at Crypto.com Arena. (nba.com) Dončić produced 41 points and eight rebounds in that March 27 win, and the 16th technical came as a double technical after a heated exchange with Nets forward Ziaire Williams. (nba.com) Earlier this month the NBA rescinded a separate technical that would have been his 16th after a skirmish with Goga Bitadze on March 23, lowering his total to 15 before Friday’s game. (lvsportsnetwork.com) The league also fined Dončić $50,000 on March 10 for directing an inappropriate “money” gesture toward an official, his most recent discretionary fine before the technical-foul escalation. (espn.com) Using the NBA’s salary-forfeiture formula (suspensions under 20 games cost 1/145th of season pay) and the 2025–26 season salary listed for Dončić at $54,126,450, the one-game absence equates to roughly $373,008 in forfeited pay (calculation based on those sources). (espn.com) The NBA release reiterates the technical-foul escalation policy: one-game automatic suspension at 16 technicals and an additional one-game suspension for every two technicals thereafter. (nba.com)
