Luka Doncic's controversial ejection makes Lakers supporters furious

With only three games left before the end of the NBA regular season, Los Angeles Lakers needs every win they can get to maintain their place at the play-offs. The top six teams on each conference will automatically qualify for the play-offs, while those ranked seventh and eighth playing the play-in. And yesterday was a dramatic night for Los Angeles Lakers, losing 136-120 to Oklahoma City Thunder.

It wasn't just about losing , but about how they lost. Just two days earlier, Lakers had beaten Thunder 126-99. They hoped to earn two victories in a row against the best team in the West - Thunder has 65 wins and 14 loses, Lakers has 48-31 - but the ejection of Luka Doncic at the beginning of the fourth quarter cut back the possibility.

Lakers fans are today very angry, because Doncic suffered his first ejection with the Lakers after two technical fouls, but not because of anything happening in the game, but because "he directed profanity at a game official", as crew chief Tony Brothers said in the in the match report. "He looked directly at an official and used vulgar language".

However, Doncic denies it, and says that he was talking instead to an spectator. Apparently, that spectator had said to Doncic that "he was short and he missed it", an ESPN reporter found out. "I never got a fan ejected, never, but if you're gonna talk, I'm gonna talk back like always. That had nothing to do with the ref", Doncic said after the match (via NY Post).

Doncic was ejected when the Lakers were in their best form, with the scoreboard showing 108-107 in favour of the Los Angeles team. He had scored 23 points before being expelled, but when he left, Thunder gave Lakers no chance, and Thunder scored 24-8 in the remainder of the game.