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The Mavericks might have to finish the regular season without their best player.
Luka Doncic picked up his 16th technical foul of the season on Friday night, triggering an automatic one-game suspension that will see him miss Sunday’s finale against the Spurs, unless the league office rescinds the foul. The Mavericks (51-30) are still playing for seeding, with a half-game between them in fourth and the Warriors (51-29), who are in third place in the West.
Doncic was unhappy with a no-call on his half-court shot at the first-quarter buzzer when he thought Portland’s Elijah Hughes undercut him from behind. After protesting to referee Tom Washington, Doncic went to talk to crew chief Tony Brothers, who issued the technical.
“If you ask me, I think 100 percent it should be rescinded, because it wasn’t a tech at all,” Doncic told reporters following the 128-78 win. “No warning, no nothing. I just asked him, ‘How is that not a call?’ Hopefully it will be [rescinded], so I can play Sunday.”
The win clinched home-court advantage for Dallas in the first round, though the Mavericks would of course like for their seeding to be as high as possible.
“At the end of the quarter [Doncic] took a shot and he felt he got fouled,” Brothers said in a pool report. “He started to complain to each of the officials. When I was walking toward a table, he was 15 feet in the backcourt still complaining, so he got a technical for continuously complaining.”
Brothers said Doncic didn’t use profanity. It’s not the first time that the 23-year-old has had issues with technical fouls, though.
Doncic was called for 17 of them last season, only avoiding suspension because two were rescinded. He also had one rescinded earlier this season.
“I don’t know why I got a tech honestly,” Doncic said. “I asked him, ‘How is that not a foul?’ and he just got me a tech. So I don’t really know how I got a tech there.”
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