Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic got his 16th technical foul of the season on Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, and sure enough, he was surprised by the shocking call. After all, compared to his previous ā€œwhining,ā€ he seems to be only making his case that he was fouled.

With the clock winding down in the first quarter, Doncic brought the ball back up the floor and tried a halfcourt heave as time expired. Based on the video replays, it appeared that Elijah Hughes hit him on the shoulder, which is why the Mavs star thought a foul would be called. When there was no whistle as time expired, the Slovenian wonderboy went to referee Tony Brothers to ask for what happened with the obvious miss on officiating.

Instead of getting an explanation, though, Luka got a tech instead. Itā€™s his 16th technical foul of the season, which would warrant an automatic one-game suspension if it stands.

Doncicā€™s reaction to the tech says it all, though. As he was clearly shocked and disappointed.

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Luka Doncic already has a reputation when it comes to constantly complaining, so itā€™s hard to blame the referees for calling a tech on him. As unfair as that may seem, he isnā€™t the first one to experience such treatmentā€“which is why he really needs to stop approaching the referees.

However, saying that as well, the Mavs are likely to appeal the call. After all, it doesnā€™t look like Doncic did something that is worthy of a tech. A lot of players have approached referees asking for explanation on certain calls and no-calls, so an argument can be made of that. Unlike previous situations that got him a tech, Luka didnā€™t seem to be whining and being too emotional and aggressive towards the official as well.

As mentioned, though, Doncic will be suspended on Sunday against the San Antonio Spurs if the NBA were to uphold the technical foul call. That is critical for the Mavs since they are targeting the highest seed they can get, and any loss they incur will allow the Golden State Warriors to claim the third seed for themselves.