The Dallas Mavericks were fined $750,000 for conduct detrimental to the NBA, including violating the league’s player rest policy and displaying a “will to lose” in their April 7 game against the Chicago Bulls. the league announced Friday.
Dallas sat out most of its starters and pulled star Luka Doncic after the first quarter of the contest. The Mavericks’ loss eliminated them from playoff contention and put them in a better position to retain their protected top-10 draft pick.
“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict the full participation of key players in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our game,” said Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and the league.”
Mavericks with a chance to qualify
The team needed to beat the Bulls and the conference’s worst San Antonio Spurs and hope for an Oklahoma City Thunder loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on the final day of the regular season to clinch the final play-in spot.
The Mavericks blew an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter to lose to the Bulls and take the 10th overall pick in the draft lottery. As long as none of the four teams placed above them jump into the top three, the team will keep their selection. If it falls outside the top 10, the pick belongs to the New York Knicks.
Dallas was sitting in the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference near the middle of the season and instead acquired Brooklyn Nets star, Kyrie Irving. Irving is a free agent this summer, and reports suggest the Mavericks fear franchise cornerstone Doncic will request a trade in 2024.
