LOS ANGELES (AFP) — Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, the National Basketball Association (NBA) scoring leader, was suspended one game without pay by the league on Saturday after receiving his 16th technical foul of the season.

NBA rules require any player or coach to be automatically suspended for one game once he is whistled for his 16th technical foul during a regular season.

Doncic would be banned for an additional game for every two more technical fouls he receives during the remainder of the campaign.

The 27-year-old Slovenian tops the NBA in scoring with 33.7 points a game and ranks third in assists with 8.2 per contest.

Doncic has sparked the Lakers to a 48-26 start and third place in the Western Conference.

Doncic received his most recent technical foul with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter of the Lakers' 116-99 home victory over Brooklyn on Friday.

He will serve his suspension on Monday when the Lakers play host to the Washington Wizards.

Meanwhile, Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid was fined $50,000 by the NBA for questioning the integrity of game officials in a Wednesday home victory over Houston.

The incident, which brought Reid a technical foul and ejection, came 47 seconds into overtime of Minnesota's 110-108 triumph over the Rockets.

Reid was whistled for a charging foul on Houston big man Alperen Sengun early in overtime. The T-Wolves challenged the call but were denied after video review, a result that led Reid to complain to referee Scott Foster about the decision, leading to his ejection.