Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. (Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports)
Mavericks star Luka Doncic was fined by the NBA for making a hand gesture suggesting the refs were paid off against the Warriors.
Luka Doncic was not a fan of the referees overseeing Wednesday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors. So the Mavericks guard let them know it.
With just over a second remaining in the controversial 127-125 loss, Doncic gestured towards the refs, rubbing his fingers to imply a pay off.
Now he’s literally paying for it.
NBA fined Luka Doncic for ref payoff gesture
The NBA fined Doncic $35,000 for “directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official.”
That’s a whole lot of money for a cheeky gesture by a frustrated player but there is plenty of precedent for the league handing out a fine like that. Buddy Hield just got fined $25,000 on Wednesday for flashing a middle finger while sitting on the Pacers bench.
Accusing a ref of being on the take is apparently more serious than just the bird.
Doncic needs to tread carefully. He has 15 technical fouls so far this season. One more will result in an automatic one-game suspension.
In a tight Western Conference playoffs battle, the Mavericks can’t afford for their star playing to miss any unnecessary time. Dallas came into Friday night sitting eighth in the standings. However, they’d just half a game ahead of the Utah Jazz in 12th place and they’re tied with the Lakers, Pelicans and Thunder. All of those teams are vying for a playoff spot and any one of them could fall out of the postseason in the blink of an eye.