The NBA has rescinded Luka Doncic's 16th technical foul, the league announced Monday. When a player picks up his 16th technical foul of the season, he is subject to an automatic one-game suspension. However, with his 16th technical foul rescinded, Doncic will be eligible to play for the free-falling Dallas Mavericks on Monday in a crucial game against the Indiana Pacers.
The technical foul in question came in the third quarter of Sunday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Doncic expected a whistle after missing a shot but didn't get one, and his complaining earned him that technical foul.
wow. in the most crucial stretch of the campaign, Luka Doncic just got hit with his 16th technical of the season and he will be suspended for the Mavs’ next game if it isnt rescinded. pic.twitter.com/o5Q3HsR4R7
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) March 26, 2023
Upon review, however, the NBA has decided that Doncic's actions did not warrant a technical foul. That is enormous for Dallas, which has fallen to No. 11 in the Western Conference amid a recent slide. The Mavericks have to play the second night of a back-to-back on Monday in Indiana against the Pacers, and picking up that win without Doncic would've been difficult.
Even with Doncic, though, the Mavericks have been among the NBA's biggest recent disappointments. They are now 8-13 since trading for Kyrie Irving and 3-8 with both Irving and Doncic on the floor. Their last two games have both been losses to the Charlotte Hornets, who have the fourth-worst record in the NBA and are without star point guard LaMelo Ball.
Now the Mavericks need to win five of their last seven just to get to .500 on the season. Even with Doncic playing on Monday, that will be no easy task considering their recent struggles. The Mavericks may have thought they were taking the leap into championship contention when they traded Irving, but right now, it's not even clear if they'll be able to remain in the playoff picture.
