The Dallas Mavericks have been fined a hefty $750,000 by the NBA. That was announced on Friday. The Texans were accused of league-damaging behavior in the form of “tanking” after their 112-115 loss to the Chicago Bulls in early April.
“The Mavericks have violated the league’s player rest policy and, through actions and public statements, have demonstrated the organization’s desire to lose the game to improve the chances of retaining their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA draft,” the statement said NBA.
Mavs star Luka Doncic only plays in the first quarter
However, the NBA also noted in its statement that the investigations did not determine that the actual players used lost the game intentionally.
Kyrie Irving, among others, did not play against the Bulls at Dallas, as did Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber and Christian Wood. Superstar Luka Doncic was only used in the first quarter of the game. In the last quarter, the Mavericks lost an eleven-point lead and finally missed the playoffs.
