Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic is just two technical fouls away from an automatic one-game suspension, and that won't change despite his latest appeal.
Doncic got his 14th technical foul of the season on Wednesday against the New York Knicks. However, he played it down and shared he planned to protest it since he believes there's nothing he said or did that warrants it.
Unfortunately for the Mavs youngster, the league office confirmed the technical foul call on Doncic has a legitimate reason, which is why it would stand. The Slovenian wonderboy previously had a technical rescinded, but he is not as lucky this time around, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Luka Doncic's technical foul vs. the Knicks will stand as called, the league office determined after a routine review. Doncic, who had a T rescinded after the Mavs' Feb. 27 win over the Warriors, officially has 14 this season — two shy of a one-game suspension.
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 11, 2022
That's certainly bad news for the Mavs, who are aiming for the automatic playoff qualification spots. Heading to Friday's game against the Houston Rockets, they are at the fifth seed with a 40-26 record–just one and half games behind the Utah Jazz but only half a game ahead the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets.
Article Continues BelowIf Luka Doncic is suspended in their remaining games, especially down the stretch, it could prove costly in their playoff bid. They certainly want to avoid the play-in, especially since it poses a difficult path with the likes of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers in the said spots.
For what it's worth, Luka has vowed that he won't be suspended because of technical fouls. He knows how important he is to the franchise and their title hopes, so he can't afford to let his teammates down.
Doncic is undoubtedly one of the best players in the NBA today, but his emotions often get the better of him. He admitted he is passionate about what he does, but it is starting to become an issue that's limiting him to reach his full potential. New York Knicks legend Clyde Frazier even didn't hold back in his criticism of the Mavs superstar and noted how he is the biggest “crybaby” in the NBA.
To be fair to Luka, it does seem there have been a lot of calls not going in his favor. Nonetheless, he can only control what he can, and the referees' decision isn't part of that. Hopefully, he'll be able to avoid racking up technical fouls since he doesn't have a lot of room for it.