Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks was ejected from Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers for a flagrant 2 foul, which was assessed for the violent nature of the play and the body area Doncic hit in the Mavs-Cavs contest.

ESPN's Tim McMahon offered an even more precise description of the play, adding a crucial note about the playing status of Luka Doncic for the Mavs as this final week of the NBA regular season continues: 

The fact that the Los Angeles Lakers have fallen to seventh place in the Western Conference means that the Mavs are relatively safe in terms of avoiding the NBA play-in round. A week ago, there was more uncertainty surrounding the Mavs' situation, meaning that a possible one-game suspension for Luka Doncic would have carried more severe consequences.

As things stand, it would still be a major NBA story if Luka Doncic got suspended for a game, but the severity and ramifications of such an occurrence — if it happens — would not be as pronounced at this point. The Mavs have created a small but real cushion in the battle to avoid the play-in round. They still need to win a few more games to fully secure a berth in the first round while the Lakers and others fight for play-in positioning.

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The Mavs entered Sunday's game against the Cavs with a 39-28 record. This puts Dallas and Luka Doncic half a game ahead of the (39-29) Portland Trail Blazers for fifth in the West, but the more important detail is that Dallas is two games ahead of the (37-30) Los Angeles Lakers, who face the Phoenix Suns later on Sunday night.

As long as the Mavericks finish ahead of the Lakers, Luka Doncic will avoid the play-in round. Finishing fifth or sixth carries no value there; seeding matters only in relationship to the matchups Dallas might get in the playoffs.