Take a deep breath, Mavericks fans.
Luka Doncic’s ejection early in the second half of Dallas’ 124-97 win over the Cavaliers won’t affect his already perilous standing with fouls this season.
After a five-minute review at the 10:05 mark in the third quarter, the “aggressive strike to the groin area” officials called on Doncic counted as a flagrant-2 foul, not a technical. The 22-year-old All-Star’s season-long total remains at 15 technical fouls, one shy of an automatic one-game suspension with four games remaining.
In fact, all factors important to the Mavericks’ playoff race remain intact.
With the victory, fifth-place Dallas (40-28) returned to one game ahead of the sixth-place Trail Blazers (39-29). The Mavericks’ entered Sunday needing any combination of wins or Lakers losses adding up to three to secure a top-6 seed, guaranteeing them a first-round playoff series free of play-in stipulations.
Before Los Angeles tipped off against the Suns late Sunday night, the Mavericks won their fourth consecutive game and trimmed their top-6 magic number to 2 -- even without their star point guard for the final 22 minutes.
It might’ve been natural for the Mavericks to look past the Cavaliers, whom they had beaten by 20 points two days earlier, or to wilt with Doncic joining two other starters in absentia. Kristaps Porzingis missed his sixth consecutive game with right knee soreness, while Maxi Kleber (right Achilles soreness) sat out his fourth straight.
After all, the Mavericks have slipped against lesser competition. The Kings, owners of the NBA’s longest stretch without a playoff berth, are the only ones who’ve beaten Dallas since April 16.
But on this Mother’s Day, Tim Hardaway Jr., whose best performances this season have come when family or friends are in the stands, tallied 25 points and shot 7 of 11 from three.
Josh Richardson thrived, too, with his mid-range shooting keeping the Cavaliers perimeter defense off balance. In 25 minutes, 18 of his 20 points came from two-point range.
When Doncic exited, the Mavericks were up 68-57.
They finished the third quarter on a 30-15 run and led by at least 20 points for the entire fourth quarter.
Doncic’s ejection was his second in the last week.
Last Sunday in the Mavericks’ third loss to the Kings in two weeks, Doncic drew two technical fouls -- his 14th and 15th of the season -- with less than a minute remaining.
This time, Doncic erred while jostling with the Cavaliers’ Collin Sexton for defensive rebounding position in the paint.
After Sexton bumped him from the side, Doncic swung his right arm backward, hitting Sexton in the midsection. Officials called a common foul on the court. But after a five-minute review, originally to see whether the foul occurred before Cleveland’s shot-clock violation, officials upgraded Doncic’s foul to a flagrant-2, an automatic ejection.
His exit overshadowed another milestone in his young career.
With an assist to Willie Cauley-Stein a few minutes into the game, Doncic joined Oscar Robertson as the only players to reach 5,000 points and 1,500 assists in fewer than 200 games. Robertson, LeBron James and now Doncic are the only players to record 5,000 career points, 1,500 assists and 1,500 rebounds in the first three seasons.
But with apologies to the Slovenian population in Cleveland, the largest in the U.S. that often shows up to watch Doncic’s one visit a year, Doncic’s banishment to the locker room might’ve been a bonus for the Mavericks.
With four games in the next six days looming, including a back-to-back against the Grizzlies Tuesday and Pelicans Wednesday, Dallas won’t lament some extra rest for their superstar.
