The Lakers catch a break before a pivotal game with the East's best team.
The Los Angeles Lakers got the news they were hoping for on Sunday afternoon.
The NBA officially rescinded Luka Doncic's 16th technical foul of the season, meaning the star guard will be in the lineup for Monday night's road matchup against the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons.
Doncic picked up the technical during the third quarter of Saturday's 105-104 win over the Orlando Magic after a heated back-and-forth with Magic center Goga Bitadze.
The two were jawing at each other while Doncic was at the free throw line, and things only got worse from there as both players kept talking while heading up the floor, leading to referee Marat Kogut hitting them with a double technical with 1:19 left in the quarter.
The Lakers immediately appealed the call, and the league sided with them after reviewing the incident.
What Started the Altercation
Both players told different versions of what happened.
Doncic said Bitadze made vulgar comments about his family in Serbian while he was shooting free throws, and that he felt he had no choice but to respond.
"He said at the free throw he would (expletive) my whole family," Doncic said after the game. "At some point, I just can't stand it and I got to stand up for myself. I know my teammates have my back, so I let them down today."
Bitadze denied those claims and said Doncic was actually the one who brought families into it first.
"I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done, and I really respect everybody's family," Bitadze told ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel. "He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which I played in Serbia and I understand, so I just said it back."
Crew chief Marc Davis confirmed both players were warned between the free throws and that the technicals came after they kept going.
Why the Decision Is So Big
Under NBA rules, 16 technical fouls in a season triggers an automatic one-game suspension, with another suspension for every two technicals after that.
Had the league upheld the call, Doncic would have been forced to sit out Monday's game against Detroit, which is about as tough a matchup as it gets with the Pistons sitting at 51-19.
Losing him for a game of that caliber would have been a real blow to a Lakers team riding a nine-game winning streak and battling for positioning in the Western Conference at 46-25.
This is the third time in Doncic's career that the NBA has rescinded his 16th technical, with the first two coming during his time with the Dallas Mavericks.
Coach JJ Redick pointed to the language barrier as reason for the appeal, saying comments were made in a language the referees could not understand.
Doncic Stays Rolling
Even with the technical drama, Doncic still put up strong numbers against the Magic on Saturday with 33 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals.
His shooting cooled off in the second half at 2-for-13, but he did enough early to help the Lakers hold on.
On the season, he is averaging 33.4 points, 8.4 assists, and 7.9 rebounds per game, and during the winning streak those numbers have jumped to 40.9 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per night.
With his tech count back at 15, Doncic still has to watch himself since one more technical puts him right back in suspension territory.
The Lakers can breathe easy knowing their best player will be on the court Monday in Detroit.