Luka Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks are headed to the playoffs for the second consecutive season. They officially secured a postseason berth Friday with a 114-110 win over the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Center.

Here's a look at the latest Western Conference playoff standings and postseason picture following Dallas' win.

Western Conference Standings

1. Utah Jazz: 51-20

2. Phoenix Suns: 49-21

3. Denver Nuggets: 47-24

4. Los Angeles Clippers: 47-24

5. Dallas Mavericks: 42-29

6. Portland Trail Blazers: 41-30

7. Los Angeles Lakers: 40-30

8. Golden State Warriors: 38-33

9. Memphis Grizzlies: 38-33

10. San Antonio Spurs: 33-37

11. New Orleans Pelicans: 31-40

12. Sacramento Kings: 31-40

13. Minnesota Timberwolves: 22-48

14. Oklahoma City Thunder: 21-50

15. Houston Rockets: 17-54

Current First-Round Playoff Matchups

No. 1 Utah Jazz vs. Lowest Play-In Seed

No. 2 Phoenix Suns vs. Highest Play-In Seed

No. 3 Denver Nuggets vs. No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers

No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers vs. No. 5 Dallas Mavericks

Current Play-In Matchups

No. 7 Los Angeles Lakers vs. No. 8 Golden State Warriors (winner plays No. 2 Suns)

No. 9 Memphis Grizzlies vs. No. 10 San Antonio Spurs (loser eliminated)

No. 7/8 Game Loser vs. No. 9/10 Game winner (winner plays No. 1 Jazz)

Coming off a 43-32 record and a seventh-place finish in the Western Conference last season, expectations were high for the Mavs coming into the 2020-21 season. They put up a valiant effort in the first-round series loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games.

The biggest reason for optimism in Dallas is Luka Doncic. He emerged as an All-Star in 2019-20 and continued his ascent this season. He entered Friday ranking in the top 10 in the NBA in scoring average (28.0 points per game) and assists (8.6), along with 8.0 rebounds per contest. 

The 22-year-old also improved as a shooter with a career-high 35.5 three-point percentage on 8.3 attempts per game. 

Elsewhere, Kristaps Porzingis has looked for extended stretches like the No. 2 star that Dallas envisioned when it acquired him from the New York Knicks. He started Friday averaging 20.1 points on 36.3 percent three-point shooting and 9.0 rebounds per game this season.

Injuries were a problem for Dallas, especially when it comes to the 25-year-old Latvian. He has missed 29 games already this season and got off to a slow start while working his way back from offseason knee surgery to repair a lateral meniscus tear. 

There were some early concerns for the Mavs this season. They were 8-13 and coming off six straight losses on Feb. 2. Some of those struggles came about because the team dealt with a series of COVID-19 issues and were without key players for multiple games. 

Since that losing streak, though, they have gone 34-16 and clinched the Southwest Division for the first time since 2009-10. They are the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference. 

Head coach Rick Carlisle's squad is dangerous because it has a legitimate superstar in Doncic who has shown a knack for making big plays in key moments and setting up his teammates for easy baskets. 

If everything falls into place for the Mavs, they could be a sleeper team that makes a deep postseason run as they chase their first NBA title since the 2010-11 season.  

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic said the hit that led to his ejection during Sunday night's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers wasn't done intentionally. 

Doncic was tossed early in the third quarter after hitting Collin Sexton in the groin while boxing out on a shot from Isaac Okoro. 

"After I saw the video, I knew I hit him, but it was nothing on purpose," he told reporters. "I think that kind of stuff happens a lot in the games, but I don't know. That's my explanation. It obviously was not on purpose."

The call was ruled a flagrant-2 foul and does not count toward the technical fouls that have been called on Doncic this season. One more technical foul and he will earn a one-game suspension. 

Sexton seemed to agree with Doncic's assessment of the incident. 

"It was just a box-out play," he told reporters. "Usually whenever someone is hand-checking, then you punch down or swing down. It was just in the groin, but it’s all good.”

Doncic had 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and some NBA history before he was tossed, becoming the third player in the league to post 5,000 points, 1,500 assists and 1,500 rebounds in his first three seasons in the league (h/t Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News). 

The Mavericks went on to earn a 124-97 win. 

The ejection was Doncic's second in five games. In a May 2 loss to the Sacramento Kings, he was whistled for two technical fouls.

After he earned his 15th of the season against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, Doncic said he needed to keep his emotions in check when dealing with officials. 

"It's something that I'm not supposed to do, with all the emotions in games, but obviously I've got to stop," he told reporters. "It's just hard for me on the court with all the emotions, but I realize it and I've got to work on this. It's tough to do it, but I've got to work on it and be way better than this."

With the Mavericks bound for the postseason at 40-28—good for the fifth seed in the Western Conference—losing their top player at any point down the line could have serious consequences. 

The Dallas Mavericks will have to finish Sunday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers without star Luka Doncic. 

According to Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Doncic was ejected from the game because of a flagrant 2 foul for "an aggressive strike to the groin area" of Collin Sexton. 

MacMahon noted the flagrant 2 doesn't count toward accrued technical totals for the Mavericks star, so he will not automatically be suspended for one game. 

Doncic had 15 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals in the game prior to the ejection.

Before he was ejected, he joined Oscar Robertson and LeBron James as the only players in league history to tally 5,000 points, 1,500 assists and 1,500 rebounds in their first 3 seasons, per Callie Caplan of the Dallas Morning News.

The 22-year-old has been largely brilliant this season and entered play averaging 28.4 points, 8.7 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game behind 48.3 percent shooting from the field and 35.5 percent shooting from three-point range.

The ejection snapped his streak of seven straight games of 23 or more points.

Thanks largely to Doncic's play, the Mavericks are sitting in the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and two games clear of the seventh-seeded Los Angeles Lakers. Staying ahead of the Purple and Gold and No. 7 seed is key because the Nos. 7-10 seeds will participate in the play-in tournament this season.

While Dallas may not need Doncic for the stretch run of a game against the Cavaliers, they will need him leading the way come playoff time.

Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant offered up some high praise for Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic on the latest episode of his podcast The ETCs with Kevin Durant.

While chatting about the 22-year-old Slovenian, Durant touted Doncic's vision and pace.

Said Durant (h/t Eurohoops.net):

He's just smooth out there. He's seeing everything before it even happens. He can dictate every pass that he wants. He's got a nice pace.

He can get you up in the air because everybody is pressing him. He might get a foul on one play—boom, you loosened up now. He gets into the paint, pump-fakes you, you jump, pump-fakes you again because he's moving so slow, one leg fade. His pace is so incredible to me. ...

He's deceptively quick too. He'll get around you fast, he'll slip around you fast for a layup, then slow down. That's how he gets a lot of fouls too. He'll act like he doesn't have any athleticism.

Doncic certainly has the numbers to back up the praise. Not only is he averaging 28.4 points, 8.7 assists and 8.1 rebounds per game, but Friday he also became the fastest active player to reach 5,000 points—requiring just 194 games. He's the fourth-youngest player to reach that mark in NBA history behind LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and—no surprise—Durant.

Given the success the other three have had, it's easy to imagine Doncic following a similar path.    

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has added another record to his already-impressive NBA resume. 

The two-time All-Star scored his 5,000th career point during Friday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He needed just 194 games to hit the milestone, the fewest among active players to hit that mark. 

Per ESPN's Tim MacMahon, only LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony reached the 5,000-point mark at a younger age than Doncic (22 years, 68 days) in NBA history. 

Doncic entered Friday's game seven points shy of the milestone marker. He surpassed that total in the first quarter. 

In just his third NBA season, Doncic has already established himself as one of the best players in the league. He has led the Mavs resurgence and looks like a future MVP. 

Luka Doncic understands he's been a bit more prone to losing his temper this season. 

With 15 technical fouls in 59 games, the Dallas Mavericks star is tied with Philadelphia 76ers center Dwight Howard for the most in NBA. Doncic also understands one more tech will earn him an automatic one-game suspension. 

Speaking to the Inside the NBA crew on TNT after defeating the Brooklyn Nets, 113-109, on Thursday, Doncic was asked about how he'll approach the slim margin for error and responded with some self-reflection. 

"With officials, I wasn't myself this season," Doncic said. "I'm complaining way too much and I've got to work on that. I've got to stay calm and just not talk to them. I've got to learn from that."

Dallas has six games left in the regular season, and with Kristaps Porzinigs (knee) still sidelined, the Mavs can't afford to lose Doncic, either. Certainly not with playoff seeding at stake. 

Doncic knows he needs to be better when arguing calls. Now he needs to prove he can do it. 

The Dallas Mavericks are getting hot.

At home on Thursday, the Mavericks earned their fifth victory in six games with a 113-109 defeat of the Brooklyn Nets, who have lost four in a row. 

Luka Doncic scored 24 points for the Mavericks, who temporarily moved into fifth place in the Western Conference by improving to 38-28. The Lakers, who entered Thursday tied with Dallas, have a 10 p.m. ET tipoff against the Clippers.

For the slipping Nets (43-24, second in the Eastern Conference), Kyrie Irving dropped a season-high 45 points.

Notable Performers

• Kyrie Irving, Nets: 45 PTS
• Kevin Durant, Nets: 20 PTS 
• Luka Doncic, Mavericks: 24 PTS, 10 REB, 8 AST
• Tim Hardaway Jr., Mavericks: 23 PTS, 6 REB

Irving, Blake Griffin's Big Nights Spoiled

The Nets fell behind early, going down by as much as 10 points to the Mavericks in the opening frame. They closed the deficit to five by the quarter's end, led by 10 points from Kyrie Irving. 

But there was hope still for Brooklyn, which continued to welcome back Nicolas Claxton. The big had been an important depth piece off of the bench for the squad, but his progress in his second year was hindered as he spent seven games in the health and safety protocols. He returned against Milwaukee on Tuesday but played just five minutes, a total he surpassed by the second frame on Thursday.

They opened the second quarter on an 8-5 run, but Dallas answered to turn things into a back-and-forth.

Irving and Durant continued to lead the charge, ending the half having combined for 41 points. 

The charge resulted in a 63-62 Dallas advantage at the midway point. It also resulted in some history for Irving, who scored 25 points by the break to lead all scorers, breaking the team's season-high for most points in a first half. 

The energy picked up in the third, with the team opening on a 6-0 run and taking a lead midway through the quarter. 

Along the way, Blake Griffin nabbed his second double-double of the season and first as a member of the Brooklyn Nets. 

The Mavericks went on a run of their own in the middle part of the quarter to keep the Nets from getting too far ahead. But their little bursts of energy weren't enough to keep the Mavericks at bay, even as Irving, Durant and Griffin (10 points, 10 rebounds) had standout performances. 

Doncic, Dallas Hang On Amid Back-and-Forth

Dallas took a five-point lead into the second quarter. The Mavs took advantage despite getting outshot from three because they capitalized on four attempts from the line. Tim Hardaway Jr. logged 10 points in 12 minutes, while Luka Doncic and Josh Richardson tallied eight and seven points, respectively. 

The early lead was a strong omen for Dallas. 

But by the break, they struggled to keep a big lead over a surging Nets offense, even as Doncic posted 11 points in the second quarter.

The Mavs looked like a completely different team at the start of the third. Things looked like they would take a turn for the worst when Hardaway—who was the team's second-leading scorer behind Doncic—went down and grabbed at his leg, but he stayed in the game. 

Still, it took the team nearly five minutes to log a point after the break while Brooklyn did the opposite, opening on a 6-0 run. But after a timeout, they came back in front. But the slow stretch—highlighted by a scoreless drought for Doncic that lasted until there was 1:53 left—was a sign of a negative trend for the Mavericks.

As they did following the slow start to the second quarter, they picked things up and challenged Brooklyn's lead, but a pair of turnovers had them down by one heading into the final 12 minutes. 

A late 12-5 run for the Mavericks all but sealed the deal before Dallas held the Nets off despite a late charge thanks to three shots from the line and a field goal from Irving.

What's Next? 

Dallas will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET. 

The Nets' five-game road trip continues in Denver on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic lobbied the NBA to rescind the two technical fouls he received in Sunday's 111-99 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

Doncic was assessed his first technical foul at the 10:23 mark of the second quarter and was sent to the locker room with his second technical with 31.8 seconds in the final quarter.

After the game, the two-time All-Star expressed confusion about the circumstances surrounding his early exit:

Crew chief Rodney Mott provided an explanation to ESPN's Tim MacMahon. He said the first was due to a "disrespectful" and "unsportsmanlike" reaction Doncic gave to an offensive foul he committed. And the second was for throwing the ball across the court out of frustration.

Doncic's ejection didn't have much impact on the outcome. The concern, however, stems from the fact that he's one more technical foul away—15 on the season—from triggering an automatic one-game suspension.

"It's something we've been making him aware of," head coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. "Look, I set a poor example tonight by getting two myself. So that's on me. I apologized to the team after the game for it, too. It's not the right example."

Doncic expressed confidence in his belief he won't be whistled for another tech during the regular season.

Losing the 6'7" playmaker for even one game could prove very troublesome for the Mavs, who are seventh in the Western Conference and thus in position to fall into the play-in tournament. The sixth-place Portland Trail Blazers own the same record (36-28), while the Los Angeles Lakers are only 0.5 games up in fifth.

One game might be the difference between finishing in sixth and having to qualify for the playoffs through the play-in.

The league has already rescinded one technical foul from Doncic, so perhaps officials will provide the 22-year-old Slovenian with a little more breathing room once again.