Lakers' Luka Doncic at risk of suspension at terrible time for L.A.

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to need Luka Doncic to be careful over the next month or so.

Because if he's not, he might land a one-game suspension from the NBA, and the stretch run in a playoff seeding battle would not be a great time for the Lakers to be without Doncic for a game.

The problem is this: Luka gets a lot of technical fouls.

If a player gets 16 techs in one regular season, it results in an automatic one-game suspension from the team's next game.

On Tuesday night, Doncic picked up his 14th technical foul.

The Lakers still have 21 games left, so based on Doncic's average of techs per game, he would reach 16 comfortably before the regular season is over.

Luka Doncic's technical foul tonight is his 14th of the season. Two more and he'll be suspended a game. Something to monitor as the Lakers fight for playoff seeding with 21 games left after tonight.

MORE: Rip Hamilton's son is committed to play D-I college basketball

The Lakers have learned how to play without Doncic this season already due to injury, but when it's something that feels more in control like this, it'd be annoying to have Luka miss another game.

Doncic is clearly one of the league's more animated talkers toward the officials. He's often frustrated, both with calls he doesn't get on offense and with calls against him on defense.

It's hard to totally change a player's behavior, but with Doncic this close to the technical foul suspension, it'd be worth it for the Lakers to at least see if they can tone him down a tad.

If it can be avoided, the Lakers would certainly like to not be missing Doncic for any more games.

One note: This resets when the playoffs arrive. So if Doncic hasn't hit 16 by the postseason, he won't have the same worry anymore.

More NBA news:

• Knicks' unheralded forward sets all-time NBA record by not being shy
• Jonathan Kuminga looks right at home with the Hawks
• Neemias Queta makes Celtics history not done since Robert Parrish
• Angel Reese's brother gets surprising NBA chance
• Hugo Gonzalez joins Larry Bird in Celtics history
• 76ers might have messed up the Jared McCain trade