Getty Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
The Dallas Mavericks need to be on their A-game as the regular season comes to a close. If they want to maintain their spot in the playoff race, they can’t afford to drop too many more games, especially considering how tightly-contested the Western Conference is.
Unfortunately, they dropped their game against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. However, there was some controversy during the game, as the referees apparently did not let the Mavericks know it was Golden State’s ball late in the third, which led to an open bucket for the Warriors. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Mavericks are going to protest the result of the game.
“The Dallas Mavericks plan to file to the NBA a formal protest of their 127-125 loss to the Golden State Warriors tonight, with focus on alleged referee mistake that led to two free Warriors points late in the third quarter, source tells @TheAthletic @Stadium,” Charania tweeted.
Dallas was under the impression that it was their ball, but during the timeout, something got mixed up. When it came time to inbound the ball, the Warriors all lined up under their basket, but the Mavericks all lined up under theirs. The refs then handed the ball to the Warriors, who laid it in for an easy basket.
Mark Cuban Calls Out NBA for Failure in Mavs Game
In addition, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban complained about the incident on Twitter after the game.
“For those wondering about the play with 1:54 to go on the 3rd, let me explain what happened. The ref called Mavs ball . The announcer announced it. Then there was a timeout . During the time out the official changed the call and never told us. Then when they saw us line up as if it were our ball, he just gave the ball to the warriors. Never said a word to us They got an easy basketball. Crazy that it would matter in a 2 point game. Worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA . All they had to do was tell us and they didn’t,” Cuban tweeted.
Stephen Curry Sounds Off on Luka Doncic
The game came down to the wire, but the Warriors came out on top. After the contest, Stephen Curry sent a message on Luka Doncic.
“I mean, for the most part, we put him on the free throw line too much in the first half. But Luka is interesting,” Curry said via the NBA Interviews YouTube channel. “He’s going to get his numbers because he’s good, first and foremost, but they have a team formed around him that gives him a lot of space, and he’s great at picking and choosing his spots. Whether he’s looking for a shot or putting pressure on you in the paint to kick out to shooters. They made 17 threes off of a lot of his gravity, so you got to live with some of that stuff, and you got to live with him having big numbers because, again, he’s that great, and he has a lot of opportunity.”
