Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic has made his 16th technical foul this season and faces a suspension

Dallas – Mavericks star Luka Doncic He will be suspended for Sunday’s regular season final game unless the NBA office overturns a technical foul that was filed against him after the first quarter of Friday night’s 128-78 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

It was Doncic’s 16th technical foul this season, which resulted in an automatic one-match suspension. Doncic had another technician this season that was canceled after a routine review by the league’s office. Sunday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs could determine whether the Mavs get the third or fourth seed in the Western Conference. Dallas (51-30) is halfway behind the third-placed Golden State Warriors (51-29) and owns the tiebreak. The Warriors had games left in San Antonio and New Orleans.

“If you ask me, I think it should be 100% canceled, because it wasn’t technical at all,” said Doncic, who was called up for 17 technical fouls last season but avoided suspension because two were disqualified. No warning, nothing. I just asked him, ‘How is this not a call?’ “Hopefully it will be [rescinded]So I can play on Sunday.”

Doncic was upset that a foul was not called up in his own half at the end of the first quarter, when the Mavs were 36-13 ahead of the Blazers. Doncic was undermined from behind by Portland Elijah Hughes on the play and pleaded his case for sentencing Tom Washington on his back.

After getting up, Doncic walked across the court to speak to crew chief Tony Brothers, despite the Dallas forward Dorian Finney Smith Try to block him. The brothers called Doncic for a technical seconds afterward.

“At the end of the quarter he fired a shot and felt like he had been fouled,” the Brothers said in a post-game rally report. “He started complaining to both officials. As I walked toward the table, 15ft in the backcourt was still complaining, so he got a technician to complain.”

When the brothers were asked if profanity had been used, he said “there wasn’t”.

“I don’t know why I got the technology honestly,” said Doncic, who scored 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists before missing a win in the final quarter of the game. I asked him: How is this not wrong? He just got me a technique. So I don’t really know how I got the technology there. “

The Maffes grabbed the home ground advantage in the first round with a win. Dallas coach Jason Kidd said he doubted the league would invalidate the technical order but played down concerns about Doncic’s absence from Sunday’s game with the third seed potentially in danger.

“That’s what it is. It’s over,” Kidd said. “We’ll prepare for San Antonio. If he can play, he plays. If he can’t, he goes to the playoffs. It’s not a big deal.”

The Brothers knocked out Kidd in a Dallas Road loss to the Washington Wizards on April 1, calling Kidd for two fast techniques.

“Tony fired me as a player and now he’s fired me as a coach,” said Kidd, who has not been sent off this season. “What I told him was: Whose ball is this?” And he took that personally, unfortunately, and kicked me out. that happens “.