LOS ANGELES (AP) — NBA scoring leader Luka Doncic is facing a one-game suspension after he received his 16th technical foul of the season while scoring 41 points in the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-99 victory over Brooklyn on Friday night.
Doncic got whistled for a double technical foul with the Nets' Ziaire Williams in the third quarter.
Williams was celebrating an offensive foul called against Doncic by gleefully screaming in Doncic’s personal space. When Doncic reached out to push Williams’ arm, Williams responded with a backhand swipe across Doncic’s face.
“He was yelling in my face three times,” Doncic said. “I just wanted to get out of there. It’s a double tech, of course. What can I say? I didn’t even talk. I just wanted to get out of there. (The referee) said my push was exaggerated, which (it) was obviously not. I don’t know what else to say.”
Officials reviewed the incident before issuing technical fouls to both players.
Doncic has been building steam as an MVP candidate with a monumental scoring binge for the Lakers, who have won 11 of their last 12 as they streak toward the postseason in the third spot in the Western Conference standings.
Along with his NBA-best 33.7 points per game as he closes in on his second scoring title, Doncic is third in the league with 8.2 assists per game. He is also second in 3-pointers made and first with 15 40-point games.
He has been named the West's player of the week in each of the past two weeks, and he has scored at least 30 points in 12 consecutive games, including a 60-point barrage in Miami — where fans serenaded him with “MVP!” chants — preceded by a 51-point effort against Chicago.
NBA players are suspended for one game after picking up a 16th technical foul in a season. Unless Doncic's technical is rescinded — and that's unlikely given the circumstances, which included an in-game video review — he could sit out when Los Angeles hosts the Washington Wizards on Monday night.
“I’m sure we will appeal it,” Lakers coach JJ Redick said. “I didn’t see it happen.”
Doncic already had a technical rescinded last week after he was whistled for a verbal altercation with Orlando’s Goga Bitadze. The league didn't announce why that T had been rescinded, but Doncic said Bitadze had insulted his family in Serbian — and Bitadze denied it.
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Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) argues a call during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Thursday, March 19, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
CHICAGO (AP) — Getting to the Elite Eight is becoming an annual event for Tennessee. This time, the Volunteers hope to go another round or two.
Nate Ament scored 18 points, Ja’Kobi Gillespie finished with 16 and Tennessee beat Iowa State 76-62 on Friday night to advance to the regional finals for the third straight year.
Tennessee used a dominant effort on the glass and a strong second half to put away Iowa State (29-8) to advance to its third regional final in coach Rick Barnes' 11 seasons. The Volunteers lost to Houston last year and to Purdue in 2024. Tennessee's only other Elite Eight was under Bruce Pearl in 2010.
“We do have a standard on a lot of things, not just what we do on the basketball court,” Barnes said. “We're pretty much a no-nonsense program. We talk about that through the recruiting process. We tell everyone it's going to be tough. We want them to come. We want them to come, and really help them live their dreams. We'd like them to have a chance to play for a national championship.”
Barnes led Texas to a Final Four in 2003. But Tennessee has never been there.
The sixth-seeded Volunteers (25-11) have another big obstacle in their way, with top-seeded Michigan in the Midwest Region final on Sunday. The Wolverines beat Alabama 90-77 behind a dominant all-around performance by Yaxel Lendeborg.
Ament made three 3-pointers. Felix Okpara chipped in with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jaylen Carey added 11 points and 10 boards, and the Volunteers outrebounded the Cyclones 43-22.
“I'm just enjoying the process, being able to do it with these guys,” Okpara said. “We put in so much work in the summer. We love to see it pay off.”
Nate Heise and Tamin Lipsey each scored 18 points for Iowa State, but the Cyclones clearly struggled without injured star Joshua Jefferson.
The All-America forward was hurt minutes into the Cyclones’ March Madness opener against Tennessee State and did not play in their lopsided win over Kentucky. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists.
“Just a really tough circumstance to deal with,” coach T.J. Otzelberger said. “We just wanted to make sure that Joshua felt supported and we did everything in our power to get him ready to be out there playing. It just wasn't enough. He did all he could. He's a fierce competitor. He couldn't have done more treatments.”
Tennessee led 34-33 at halftime after Okpara hit two free throws in the closing seconds and Lipsey missed a driving layup at the buzzer.
The Volunteers were up 44-39 when they went on a 13-4 run that Carey punctuated with a three-point play off a tip-in. The 6-foot-8, 267-pound forward turned toward the roaring Vols fans and flexed before hitting the free throw to make it 57-43 with 11:47 remaining.
AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness
Tennessee's DeWayne Brown II (6) and Iowa State's Dominykas Pleta (21) chase a loose ball during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
Iowa State's Dominykas Pleta (21) heads to the basket as Tennessee's Felix Okpara (34) defends during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Friday, March 27, 2026, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
