The Mavericks want the headline out of this game to be Luka Doncic scoring 41 points with 11 assists leading Dallas to its seventh straight victory, a 123-113 statement win over the Suns. Doncic’s MVP chatter is growing louder, Kyrie Irving is playing well, the Mavericks are defending better, and with the win Dallas tied Phoenix for the No. 6 seed in the West with the chance to avoid the play-in.
Luka Magic had everything going tonight in the Mavs' W.
— NBA (@NBA) February 23, 2024
41 PTS | 6 3PM | 9 REB | 11 AST pic.twitter.com/D7M8FE6tfJ
However, it’s Doncic picking up his 12th technical — for “abruptly throwing the ball at the official with force” — that is grabbing a lot of attention.
Doncic was barking at the referees a lot in this game, even by his chatty standards, when in the third quarter he did this.
Luka Doncic got hit with a technical foul for this 😳pic.twitter.com/8nLcEK7fyn
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 23, 2024
Did that deserve a technical? On its own, maybe not, but in the context of the game and Doncic being all over the officials for three quarters before that happened, this could be the final straw. However, Crew Chief Kevin Scott said that was not the case, here are his postgame comments from the pool report.
SCOTT: Luka Doncic was assessed a technical for the unsportsmanlike tactic of abruptly throwing the ball at the official with force.
QUESTION: Did his frequent arguing throughout the game influence that decision?
SCOTT: It did not. The result of that technical foul was from that singular act alone.
On its own, that’s a weak technical. Scott, it’s okay to allow for some context.
That makes 12 technical fouls from Doncic this season, 16 leads to an automatic one-game suspension.
