DALLAS — Don’t think Mavericks star Luka Doncic had an ulterior motive Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans when he followed a physical drive to the basket with a shout at officials for not calling an and-one foul.
He didn’t mean to draw his 15th technical foul of the season, putting him one shy of an automatic one-game suspension for a third consecutive season.
He doesn’t want to rest his left thigh strain in that way.
But perhaps Doncic’s subconscious knew, one way or another, the Mavericks are approaching time without their 24-year-old franchise cornerstone.
Whether because of the thigh strain he deemed “not good” after leaving in the third quarter Wednesday, his rapid technical-foul pace for arguing with officials or both, Doncic is increasingly likely to miss crucial games during the Mavericks’ push to avert their post-trade deadline skid and clinch a playoff spot over the next month.
“If I knew, I would do it every time,” Doncic said when asked how he’d work to avoid that fateful 16th technical foul over the Mavericks’ last 15 regular-season games. “For me it’s hard, the passion, trying to win games. But for sure, I got to be better.”
The Mavericks hope the same for his thigh. He had an MRI on Thursday that came back clean and he is expected to return as soon as the discomfort allows him to, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.
The team spent Thursday’s off day in Dallas after flying back from their 113-106 loss in New Orleans. The Mavericks will depart again Friday afternoon for Saturday’s contest in Memphis.
In seven games post-All-Star break, Doncic is averaging 30.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game but shooting almost three percentage points below his season averages (46.7% from the floor and 34.4% from 3).
He said he’s been playing through pain since after the Mavericks’ major collapse Feb. 26 against the Lakers. In the last three games, Doncic has shot 8 of 23 (34.8%) vs. Phoenix, 10 of 23 (43.4%) vs. Utah and 4 of 14 (28.6%) before leaving early against New Orleans.
“We all can see he’s not moving well,” coach Jason Kidd said, “so shooting, defense, it’s affecting everything. He’s trying to fight through it and help his teammates, but he had to leave there, so hopefully it’s not something serious. We have a couple days here before we play Memphis, so hopefully he’s back soon.”
For as long as he avoids technical foul No. 16.
Before the thigh pain “got really worse” Wednesday, Doncic drew a technical foul about seven minutes into the game. After driving through a pair of Pelicans defenders for a point-blank basket, Doncic shouted, “call a foul.”
“That early, I didn’t say nothing,” Doncic said. “I was trying to be better. The last few games wasn’t that bad. I don’t know.”
NBA rules dictate a player will face an automatic one-game suspension for drawing 16 technical fouls in a regular season and will also serve a one-game suspension for every two techs after No. 16. The tech count restarts in the playoffs, with a one-game suspension after No. 7.
“We all know that he knows,” Kidd said. “He has to be better, but we all have to be better. We all complain about calls during the game. Again, referees may see some, miss some. It’s just part of the game.”
Last year, Doncic drew 17 techs before the playoffs, but the NBA rescinded two, including one in the penultimate game that allowed him to avoid the first suspension of his career.
With 15 technicals through the 57 games this season, Doncic is averaging one every 3.8 outings.
That’s on pace to reach a suspension next week.
Down the stretch last season, Doncic openly quieted his arguments and demonstrative interactions with officials to receive just three techs in 21 games after the mid-February All-Star break — turning to Kidd as a conduit for communicating with referees and humming songs in his head as distraction.
He confirmed Wednesday that the Serbian pop music method is no longer part of his repertoire.
And it’s shown.
Doncic has drawn four technical fouls in four of the Mavericks’ first seven games since returning from the All-Star break Feb. 23, including for excessive complaining Feb. 28 against the Indiana Pacers and for a heated confrontation with Devin Booker on Sunday against the Phoenix Suns.
“Just let things, some of the plays go. Just move on to the next one,” Kidd said of his advice to Doncic. “That’s just basketball. Understanding the situation that he’s in individually with the 15 Ts, so he knows he has one left, and so again, it’s just part of the game. When you look at other guys on the floor, Kai, those guys are vets, so they’ve got to help him too with understanding when it’s time to talk to officials and when it’s not.”
Perhaps the one positive aspect of Doncic’s thigh injury, at least for his wallet?
Doncic has not drawn a technical foul, which comes with a per-call fine, during the 10 games he’s missed for injury or rest this season.
But after the Mavericks started Wednesday at No. 5 in the uber-close Western Conference playoff standings before dropping to No. 8 after the Pelicans loss, the prospect of any time without their do-it-all superstar remains a major concern for their postseason hopes.
