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:
Luka Doncic got ejected vs. Cavs — flagrant 2 for "an aggressive strike to the groin area" of Collin Sexton. That does not count toward Doncic's technical total, so it won't trigger an automatic one-game suspension.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) May 10, 2021
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.
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.