NBA: Lakers' Luka Doncic fined $50K for gesture toward refs

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic was fined $50,000 by the NBA for "directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture" toward a game official.

The fine, announced Tuesday, stems from an incident during the Lakers' 110-97 home victory over the New York Knicks on Sunday night.

With 4:35 left in the third quarter, Doncic positioned himself in the lane, believing he had drawn a charging foul. When no call was made, he rubbed his fingers together on both hands in a "money" gesture, seemingly implying the official was being paid.

Despite the controversy, Doncic had a strong performance, scoring 35 points on 11-of-25 shooting, including 5-of-16 from three-point range. He also contributed eight rebounds and four assists.

Doncic leads the NBA with an average of 32.5 points per game and ranks third in assists with 8.4. The 27-year-old has been named a first-team All-NBA player five times.

-Field Level Media/Reuters