The Dallas Mavericks’ race for third place in the Western Conference has suffered a setback. And the big and troublesome ones. The resounding victory against the evicted Portland Trail Blazers in Texas (128-78) It puts them just half a game behind the Golden State Warriors with only one left to play. Those from the Bay have two left. Impossible? No. Complicated? Yes. And more after the technique that Luka Doncic received. It is number 16, which automatically carries a penalty game.
The base had an MVP performance, another one, with 39 points (7/14 from the triple), 11 rebounds and 7 assists in a duel that was resolved in the first quarter: 36-13 in just 12 minutes. Another day at the office. However, his protests overshadowed his umpteenth show in the NBA. It is something usual since he landed to see him unhappy with the referees. He knows it and tries (according to his words) to solve it. And the referees know about his character and they have taken his registration. And the result is his exclusion from the duel against the Spurs, which closes the Mavericks’ regular season… if the League does not reverse the decision.
Doncic’s action
The action occurred on his last shot of the first period. Doncic shot from midfield as he took a clear foul from Elijah Hughes. Angry, the former Madrid player asked Tony Brothers for an explanation, despite Dorian Finney-Smith’s attempts to stop his teammate. Seconds later, the technique had fallen to the Slovenian’s disbelief. “I asked him, ‘How come that’s not a foul? How is that not a foul? It is unfair. It is unfair”repeated the Mavs player, who is confident that this last technique will be removed.
Referees’ response
“At the end of the fourth, he threw and felt he had been fouled. He began to complain to each of the referees (…). Received a technique for continuously protesting”, indicates the arbitration report of the match. It also ensures that there was no insult from Doncic, who last season was on the verge of being sanctioned.
This way of acting has not been overlooked in the League environment. And he has been harshly criticized for it. “Doncic is one of the biggest crybabies in the NBA.”, Underscored former player and now commentator Walt Frazier in one of the Mavericks’ worst losses this season, at home to the Knicks 77-107.
