DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic has been fined $35,000 for an “inappropriate and unprofessional gesture” toward a game official during the team’s matchup against the Golden State Warriors Wednesday, the NBA says.
Doncic made a “money” gesture toward officials with :01.7 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Mavs’ 127-125 loss to the Warriors at American Airlines Center.
The aftermath of the loss has come with controversy.
Mavs owner Mark Cuban reportedly said he was filing a formal protest of the loss of that game with a focus on an alleged referee mistake that led to two free Warriors points late in the third quarter.
Cuban tweeted that with 1:54 left in the third, the referee declared the Mavs possession. There was a timeout called and during the timeout, Cuban said the ref changed the call but never told the Mavs. With the entire team lined up on the other side of the court, the ref gave the ball to the Warriors on the baseline and a bucket was easily laid into the hoop.
No NBA protest has succeeded since 2008, according to NBA correspondent Marc Stein.
WFAA has reached out to Cuban for comment on the protest report but has yet to hear back.