By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic scored 33 points on 12-of-30 shooting to lift the Los Angeles Lakers to a 105–104 victory over the Orlando Magic at the Kia Center on Saturday. A ninth in a row in the 2025-26 NBA Regular Season was sealed with just 0.6 seconds remaining when Luke Kennard drilled a 24-foot three-point jumper off an assist from Marcus Smart.
“It was pretty impressive,” the Slovenian superstar said during a postgame press conference. “I think I played terribly. I think we didn’t play good. To come down the last minute, away game, and still win this game was pretty impressive.”
The game was a historic night for LeBron James, who appeared in his 1,612th regular-season contest, surpassing Robert Parish to become the league’s all-time leader in games played. He finished the night with 12 points and 6 rebounds.
The Magic had led 102–99 with just over a minute left following a pair of free throws from Paolo Banchero. However, a late review overturned an initial call to give the Lakers possession after a Banchero block on James, setting the stage for Kennard’s heroics.
For the hosts, German starter Tristan da Silva finished with 12 points, while Goga Bitadze and Noah Penda added nine and two points, respectively, off the bench. German forward Moritz Wagner did not play, and his brother, Franz Wagner, remained out due to ankle injury management. Fellow European option for the Lakers, Germany’s Maxi Kleber, remained sidelined with a lumbar back strain.
Despite the win in Orlando, Doncic was whistled for his 16th technical foul of the season late in the third quarter following an exchange with Bitadze, triggering an automatic one-game suspension. Coach JJ Redick stated the team will appeal, claiming Bitadze made a comment about the 27-year-old combo guard’s mother in a language officials did not understand.
“It was in Serbian,” Doncic added regarding the language used by Bitadze.
“I’m definitely hoping,” he said on whether he will be eligible for Monday’s game in Detroit. “Obviously, I let my team down, getting the last tech. But honestly, I wasn’t trying to. He said at the free throw he will f… my whole family. And at some point, this is a basketball court, I’ve got to stand up for myself. But I know I got to do better.”
Goga Bitadze to ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel: “I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done. I really respect everybody’s family. Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s family. I would never directly say that. …”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 22, 2026
“He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language. I played in Serbia, and I understand. I don’t know if he knew I understood what he said, so I just said it back. It was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them,” responded Bitadze, denying the allegations.
Goga Bitadze to ESPN and the Orlando Sentinel: “I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done. I really respect everybody’s family. Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s family. I would never directly say that. …”
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) March 22, 2026
Doncic files for dismissal in child support case
Off the court, Doncic filed documents with the Superior Court of Los Angeles seeking the dismissal of a petition filed by his ex-fiancee, Anamaria Goltes, per ESPN. The petition sought child support and attorney fees for their two daughters, two-year-old Gabriela and four-month-old Olivia.
While Goltes filed the petition in California earlier this month, Doncic remains a resident of Texas following his trade from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers. Furthermore, legal filings noted that one daughter was only in California for three months last spring, while the other has never visited the state.
This filing follows an interim injunction Doncic sought in Slovenian courts last month regarding immediate contact with his daughters, joint custody, and child support.