Temper, Temper: Luka Doncic Ruling Upheld; Mavs Star One Away From Suspension

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic remains one technical foul away from an automatic suspension after his latest two were upheld.

DALLAS - During the Dallas Mavericks' 111-99 loss to the Sacramento Kings, both Luka Doncic and head coach Rick Carlisle were ejected as a result of receiving multiple technical fouls. 

Doncic now has 15 technical fouls on the season, meaning he is just one away from receiving an automatic suspension. On Monday, the NBA announced the decision to uphold both of the technical fouls that Doncic received against the Kings.

What landed Doncic his initial technical foul was yelling 'hell no' in response to an offensive foul call that he disagreed with. The officiating crew explained to a pool of reporters after the game that Doncic's remark was viewed as 'disrespectful' and 'unsportsmanlike.'

Doncic felt as though the first the technical foul he received for throwing the ball should have been rescinded.

“I guess when it was timeout, I threw the ball to the basket,” Doncic said. “I guess it was because of that. You get a tech for that? I don’t know.”

The second technical foul resulted from him throwing the ball across the court. The officials viewed this action as 'unsportsmanlike' and felt as though it warranted a technical foul. 

For the second technical foul, Doncic expressed that saying 'hell no' is something that can be said to other officials, but perhaps not to this crew - making it confusing as to why he was penalized for doing so in this instance. 

“It was an offensive foul and I was like ‘Hell, no,’ Doncic said. “He told me I cannot tell him ‘Hell, no.’ Maybe I can tell it to others, but to him, no, that’s not OK.”

This doesn't seem show Luka doing much of anything ...

Luka got a tech and was ejected late during the Kings-Mavs game

He was shook 😬 pic.twitter.com/GnN3WLgWXH

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 3, 2021

But this does ...

#Luka knows this is a no-no. Almost daring a ref to call it … pic.twitter.com/Js5QsQX2pR

— fishsports ✭ (@fishsports) May 3, 2021

"We had a timeout and he takes the ball and he doesn't throw it to the nearest official, he throws the ball the length of the court, which makes it an unsportsmanlike act," crew chief Rodney Mott told the pool reporter. "The rule clearly states that you have to hand the ball to the nearest official."

It will be crucial for Doncic to be careful when it comes to voicing his frustration with officials during games. Receiving a one-game suspension could be a difference-making factor in the Mavericks' pursuit of avoiding the NBA Play-In Tournament. 

“I won’t get another one, don’t worry,” Doncic said, adding, “The first one (Sunday night) should be rescinded, too. I’ll just leave it at that.”

The Dallas Mavericks return to action on Tuesday when they on the Miami Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena.