The Dallas Mavericks have clinched home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs after routing the Blazers 128-78 Friday night at American Airlines Center Friday night.
Dallas(51-30) is currently the fourth seed in the West and could move up to third seed if they defeat the Spurs Sunday night in Dallas and the Warriors(51-29) lose one of their final two games.
However, the Mavs might be without Doncic, who got his 16th technical foul in-between the first and second quarter from referee Tony Brothers Friday night. Unless the league rescinds the technical, Doncic would be suspended for the season finale.
Doncic, who had 39 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists, including a 25-point third-quarter Friday night, discussed what happened with the technical.
“I mean, I wasn’t trying to get anything.,” Doncic said about the technical. “I don’t think [Elijah Hughes] did it on purpose, but he went through the back. I don’t know how I got a tech, honestly. I just asked [Tony Brothers], ‘how is that not a foul?’ and he gave me a tech, so I don’t really know how I got a tech there. That’s it…
“If you ask me, I think 100 percent it should be rescinded because it wasn’t a tech. No warning, no nothing. I was just asking.”
According to referee Tony Brothers, Doncic received the technical for “continuously complaining.”
“At the end of the quarter, he took a shot, and he felt he got fouled,” Brothers told the pool reporter after the game. “He started to complain to each of the officials. When I was walking toward the table, he was fifteen feet in the backcourt still complaining, so he got a technical for continuously complaining.”
Home-court advantage is a big deal for the Mavs as they improved to 20-4 in their last 24 games at American Airlines Center. In addition, if they can get to three seed and win in the first round, they could avoid the Suns in the second round, who swept the season series from the Mavs this season.
If Golden State wins their final two games, Doncic’s suspension won’t matter, but if the Warriors stumble and Doncic can’t go against the Spurs, well, Dallas might be kicking themselves.
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