NBA Fines Mavericks After Team Sat Stars With Playoffs on the Line
The NBA fined the Mavericks $750,000 on Friday for conduct deemed detrimental to the league. The penalty stems from the club’s decision to rest key players in an elimination game against the Bulls on April 7.
“The Mavericks violated the league’s player resting policy and demonstrated through actions and public statements the organization's desire to lose the game in order to improve its chances of keeping its first round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft”, according to an official release by the NBA.
The Mavericks opted not to play Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr, Maxi Kleber or Christian Wood. Star guard Luka Doncic only played in the first quarter and the first few moments of the second quarter before sitting the rest of the game.
Dallas subsequently lost the game 115–112, officially eliminating them from the playoffs. Many contended that the Mavericks tried to lose on purpose, after blowing an 11-point fourth quarter lead.
However, the league did not find any wrongdoings on the part of the players who did play in the game, stating that the investigation “did not find that the players who participated in the game were not playing to win.”
“The Dallas Mavericks’ decision to restrict key players from fully participating in an elimination game last Friday against Chicago undermined the integrity of our sport,” said Joe Dumars, NBA executive vice president, head of basketball operations. “The Mavericks’ actions failed our fans and our league.”
