Doncic unhappy with Lakers refereeing: “it wasn’t fair!”

Luka Doncic endured a night of frustration with the referees on Monday as the Lakers fell 111-108 to a Brooklyn Nets team coached by Spaniard Jordi Fernández.

“Yeah, in the end, it was a lot. It wasn’t fair. But, you know, you have to keep playing the game. I have to keep playing the game. But it was a lot, I won’t lie...” Doncic said in the post-game press conference.

Moments later, another reporter asked him to explain exactly what he meant by “it wasn’t fair,” but the Slovenian — flashing a wry smile — chose not to stir further controversy. “I’m not gonna say anything, but everyone saw the game and know what happened,” he added.

Lakers need more than triple-double Doncic

Doncic, who had been listed as questionable with back soreness, recorded his second triple-double since joining the Lakers but had a rough shooting night, going just 8-for-26 from the field (3-for-10 from beyond the arc) and 3-for-4 from the free-throw line. He finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists, all while facing double-teams throughout the game and clearly unhappy with the officiating.

His frustration boiled over in the third quarter when he raised his arms sarcastically after being called for a foul. Later in that same period, he picked up a technical after repeatedly arguing calls – something he had done throughout the night.

The Lakers shot 15-for-19 from the free-throw line compared to the Nets’ 19-for-30, but the gap was even more striking in the first half, when Los Angeles only went 2-for-2 while Brooklyn took 16 attempts, making eight.

This was the Lakers' first game (now 40-23) since LeBron James went down with an injury on Saturday, and they were also missing Dorian Finney-Smith, Rui Hachimura, and Jaxson Hayes.

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