The Dallas Mavericks are in the middle of the most frustrating part of their up and down 2022-23 season. Having been in at least a play-in spot for much of the year, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavs have lost seven of their past eight games, including a dispiriting 127-125 loss against the Golden State Warriors on March 22, to knock them all the way to the 11th spot in the Western Conference standings.

That loss against the Warriors, in particular, stands out after the Mavs put the game under protest after a confusing play wherein the officials apparently neglected to inform them of who had possession of the ball. This led to the most wide-open bucket in NBA history, made all the more heartbreaking by the fact that they lost by just two points.

And it seems like a decision on the Mavs' protest will be coming imminently. According to Marc Stein (subscription required), the NBA can make its ruling on the protest as early as Monday (April 3). The league will then have until Friday (April 7) to either uphold or reject the protest, depending on whether they deem that replaying the final two minutes of the third quarter along with the entirety of the fourth is necessary based on the accrued evidence.

Article Continues Below
More Dallas Mavericks News
Cooper Flagg talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg reveals his favorite WNBA player’s gameAbdullah Imran ·
Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving talks with Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers (5) after the game against the Indiana Fever at the American Airlines Center.
Wings’ Paige Bueckers reveals how Kyrie Irving inspired ‘unguardable’ motivationJoey Mistretta ·
Dallas Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg speaks to the media during a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility.
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg makes first Dallas appearance at Wings-Fever clashRichard Pereira ·
Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison (left) looks on with Mavericks first overall pick Cooper Flagg (right) at a press conference at the Dallas Mavericks Practice Facility with Mavericks' Anthony Davis and Mavericks' Kyrie Irving in the background
Mavericks’ Cooper Flagg gets 100% real on playing with Anthony Davis, Kyrie IrvingJosue Pavon ·
Cooper Flagg in a Mavericks jersey and Paige Bueckers in a Wings jersey in front. In background, place the Duke basketball and UConn women's basketball logos.
Cooper Flagg responds to Paige Bueckers ‘giving him crap’ over Duke-UConn decisionJoey Mistretta ·
Nico Harrison doubles down on how Cooper Flagg addition will win back Mavericks fans' hearts
Nico Harrison doubles down on how Cooper Flagg addition will win back Mavericks fans’ heartsJulian Ojeda ·

Stein noted that as vociferous as the Mavs' protests were in the aftermath of their loss to the Warriors, they don't necessarily believe that leaving it up to the NBA's ruling would do much good for the fate of their season.

“Dallas, deep down, knows that the protest has little-to-no chance of success, but the process had to play out,” Stein wrote. “Unless you think that the league is going to mandate that Golden State finds the time to fly back to Dallas this week to replay the final quarter along with the last two minutes of the third quarter.”

There have only been eight successful protested games in NBA history, the most recent of which came in 2008, when the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat replayed the last 51.3 seconds of their contest. Meanwhile, the most recent failed protest came in 2020, when the Mavs failed to get a matchup against the Hawks replayed.