Given the Dallas Mavericks' precarious position in the Western Conference standings, every win matters to them at the moment. On Wednesday night, it seemed like the Mavs could pull out an all-important victory against the Golden State Warriors, especially after Luka Doncic made his return from a five-game absence. However, as incredibly as Doncic may have played (30 points, seven rebounds, 17 assists), it wasn't enough as the Warriors took home a 127-125 win.

In the end, Doncic's frustrations with how the night has turned out appeared to get the best of him. With the Mavs down by three, 125-122, Doncic got the ball deep in the paint against Draymond Green. The Mavs star, despite trying his best, was unable to finish his shot attempt underneath the hoop, thanks to Green's stellar defensive play (Green had three steals and four blocks on the night as well).

But Luka Doncic felt like there was contact; as is usually the case with the Slovenian superstar, he then expressed his disagreement with a non-call. However, he insinuated that something far more sinister is going on behind the scenes that made the referees swallow their whistles at a juncture of the game as crucial as this.

As a result of Luka Doncic's actions, some fans couldn't help but feel pissed over what they perceive to be the Mavs star's incessant whining, especially when he and Christian Wood combined took more free throws than the entire Warriors team.

Of course, given how fickle some of the officials seem to be when it comes to punishing these sorts of gestures that seem to “threaten” the integrity of the game, they surely must have ejected the Mavs star, right? But he wasn't; in fact, the referees didn't even call a technical foul on Doncic, sending some fans into a state of incredulous laughter.

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Brett Siegel ·

Chris Paul in normal clothes on left. Mavericks' Luka Doncic shooting a basketball on right.

Joey Mistretta ·

Mavericks' Luka Doncic, Mavericks' Kyrie Irving both in front. Shaquille O'Neal, Charles Barkley, and Brian Windhorst in background with eyes popping out looking at Luka and Kyrie.

Joey Mistretta ·

Perhaps the NBA would lay down the law once this is all said and done.

Of course, it's difficult to blame the players too much for reaching this level of frustration with the officiating. And after Fred VanVleet spoke his mind candidly, even leading to a more diminished role for the referee he put on blast, there could very well be more players to push back against the referees' inconsistencies.