For the second time this season, Luka Doncic received his 16th technical foul, putting him on the sideline for one game. Last time, the league office did revoke that decision, but this time, there is no such support for the Los Angeles Lakers guard. A financial loss is looming amid the current MVP battle, where he has lost some ground.

James Jones, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations, announced that “Luka Doncic has been suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul.” The Slovenian will have to pay a $317,000 fine while also serving a one-game ban. Meaning that the 27-year-old will miss the game against the Washington Wizards on March 30.

The incident occurred during the Lakers’ 116-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets on March 27. With 5:12 remaining in the third frame, video evidence showed that Doncic pushed Williams after he came to celebrate, and Williams retaliated by swiping back at Doncic’s face. Initially, the Lakers guard’s push got him an offensive foul. But crew chief Sean Wright assessed both a tech. Pleading his innocence, the Slovenian vented to the media post-game.

“He [yelled] in my face three times,” Luka Doncic explained. “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. And they said I pushed. My push was exaggerated, which was obviously not. And I don’t know what else to tell you.” Backing his case was the head coach, who was sure they would appeal the decision.

“I’m sure we will appeal it,” said JJ Redick, and also questioned if the tech was warranted. “I’m not sure; I didn’t see what happened.” Unlike the last decision, the league rescinded his punishment following an appeal from the Lakers. Back then, he picked up his 16th technical foul in a heated war of words with Orlando Magic star Goga Bitadze, which was eventually overturned.

But this time, the Lakers’ efforts failed despite the 27-year-old pleading his case. It seems like the support for the 6x All-Star is diminishing at the wrong time.

Luka Doncic’s MVP case takes another hit

Last week’s rankings had the Slovenian rise up to the number two spot. And since then, he has had two 30 points game and two 40 points game. Despite such exceptional performances, his standing in the MVP race fell to fourth. In fact, the scoring stretch extended longer. He’s averaging 38.7 points in his last 15 games, shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc. He’s won back-to-back Player of the Week honors in March, yet his reward was a drop in the MVP rankings.

That’s why Luka Doncic took a jab at this decision. “Yeah, hopefully, but the better I play, the more I go down in ratings, so I don’t know what more I can do.” The Slovenian said about possibly winning the elusive trophy for the first time in his career.

At one end, he is dropping down the MVP charts, and on the other end, he is creating records for the Purple and Gold franchise. Only 4 players for the Lakers have scored 30+ points in 12+ consecutive games. Luka Doncic joined the list featuring Kobe Bryant, Elgin Baylor, and Jerry West. With the suspension against the Wizards confirmed, he will have one less game to turn his doubters into believers.