Announcers Torch Luka Doncic and Lakers After Officials Warn of Excessive Complaining

Luka Doncic found himself in hot water over his incessant crying and complaining to referees.

Announcers Torch Luka Doncic and Lakers After Officials Warn of Excessive Complaining

Luka Doncic (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • The Los Angeles Lakers have bounced back with three consecutive wins, improving their record to 37-24.
  • Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists in their latest victory over the Pelicans.
  • Doncic faces criticism for excessive complaining to officials, which has frustrated fans and announcers alike.

The Los Angeles Lakers led by Luka Doncic have had their inconsistencies since the turn of the year. However after three consecutive losses, they have now bounced back with three wins in a row after a 110-101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday night.

After a strong start to the 2025-26 campaign, they have gone 17-13 in their 30 games in 2026. The win over the Pelicans improved the Lakers’ record to 37-24 as they sit at sixth place in the Western Conference standings and are two games ahead of seventh-place Phoenix Suns. Meanwhile, the Pelicans continue to struggle and find themselves at 13th place in the standings with a 19-44 record.

All five starters recorded double-digit points for the Lakers, with Luka Doncic posting a double-double and leading the scorers with 27 points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists. LeBron James recorded 21 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. It was an efficient night for James as he shot at 66.7% from the field.

Since acquiring Doncic at the trade deadline last year, James has made it clear that the Slovenian guard is the focal point of the team as the Lakers’ front office prepares for life in the post-James era. While James has shown no signs of slowing down after turning 41, Doncic leads the league in scoring and is currently averaging 32.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.6 assists. He is one of the contenders for league MVP this season.

While Doncic is in the MVP conversation and is undoubtedly one of the most skilled players in the league, he is constantly nagging officials whenever calls go against him. It is something that several personalities have called him out for in recent months.

In his latest game against the Pelicans, he was at it once again. It went far enough for even the Pelicans announcers to go off on the Lakers guard.

This is the frustrating part about Luka. As great as he and he is great, you lead the NBA in free throw attempts so you complain when they call it, you complain when they don’t call it. It comes to the point where sometimes you just gotta play.

This is not the first time that Doncic has been criticized by an announcer for his incessant complaining to the referees. It is something that has remained an issue for the 26-year-old for a while now, and he does not look like he will stop anytime soon.

NBA fans react to excessive complaining during Lakers-Pelicans clash

Things did seem to get out of hand during the game. The excessive complaining saw Lakers’ newly acquired star Luke Kennard and Pelicans player Trey Murphy get technical fouls.

The announcers were left frustrated, and so were NBA fans who made their feelings known across social media.

The fans were clearly fed up with what was happening as well. The Slovenian superstar always conversing with the officials during the games remain a frustrating experience for the fans.

Luka Doncic and the Lakers have a tough road ahead

Despite being in the top six and in strong contention for a direct playoff qualification, many still do not view the Lakers as championship contenders this year. Their lack of defense has been exposed against young and athletic teams has been exposed far too many times this season.

However, Doncic and co. have a tough run of games coming up. The 26-year-old spoke about heading into a stretch with six of their next eight games against a team with a better record than them in his post-match press conference.

Analysts have been questioning Luka Doncic's effort
Luka Doncic (Image via Barstool Sports/X)

It could be the perfect time, or not. We just gotta approach the game with the same mentality. Obviously, everyone on those teams have great players. They’re winning games. We need to game by game and just try to win all those games.

The Lakers are scheduled to take on the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on March 5. It is a big clash for both teams as they are separated by just 0.5 games. In their next eight games, they will be taking on the Nuggets twice, the New York Knicks, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Houston Rockets twice.

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