Luka Doncic and head coach Jason Kidd were both ejected against the Grizzlies, prompting a flummoxed response from the Mavericks guard.
NBA refs are within their rights to eject players and coaches for the things they say. That doesn’t mean they’re always right about it.
On Monday night, Rodney Mott ejected Luka Doncic and then his head coach Jason Kidd in the third quarter of the game against the Grizzlies.
The Mavericks star apparently picked up two technicals in quick succession for his reaction to a no-call. Kidd joined in the ejection fun when he tried to object to the call.
Luka Doncic on being ejected: “I just smile”
After the game, which Dallas lost 116-106, Doncic admitted that he probably deserved the first technical but he had no explanation for the second one.
“I just smile,” Doncic said.
People on Twitter had an explanation for the abrupt ejection: Rodney Mott.
This wasn’t the first time Doncic and that particular official have tangled. Mott ejected Doncic and then-Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle in 2021.
The NBA obviously wants to empower refs when it comes to over-the-top complaints from players, but there doesn’t seem to be any evidence Doncic’s response was over-the-top enough to warrant an ejection.
Like he said, the first technical for complaining over the no-call was a given. But a ref is also responsible for bringing a measured approach to their calls. Doubling up that tech so quickly, with no apparent outburst to be seen, took one of the league’s most exciting players off the court. There’s got to be a better way to handle this kind of thing.
Along with the ultimate result of a loss for the team, the ejection had an impact on an impressive Doncic streak. He had scored 20 points in 36 straight appearances going into Monday night. When he was ejected, he had 19 points. The streak is now over.