The referee whistled "Nick the Quick" for a technical, his second for the game. According to Magic Johnson, Van Exel allegedly asked why he received the technical foul as things heated up.

Management and players meet often in the offseason, but it hits different when it's Magic Johnson and Jayden Daniels of the Washington Commanders.

Before the game, Lakers legend Magic Johnson sent out a post (via X) that had over 500 likes and 20,000 impressions in less than 25 minutes. Johnson wrote: "This is rivalry weekend for me ...