National Basketball Association

Luka Dončić's 16th technical rescinded, allowing him to play for Mavs on Monday

Updated Mar. 27, 2023 3:36 p.m. ET

The Dallas Mavericks might have finally caught a break in a stretch that hasn't provided many.

Luka Dončić's 16th technical foul of the season has been rescinded, avoiding an automatic one-game suspension. He will be able to play in Monday's game against the Indiana Pacers. Dončić picked up the technical during the Mavericks' loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday.

While Dončić wasn't ejected from Sunday's game for his technical foul, a player receives an automatic one-game suspension when they pick up their 16th technical foul of the season. Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks received a one-game suspension earlier in March after he was assessed his 16th technical foul of the season.

Dončić's ability to play in Monday's game is certainly welcome news for the Mavericks, who have lost four in a row and have dropped to 11th place in the Western Conference standings. Three of those losses came after Dončić returned to the lineup on March 22 following a five-game absence due to a thigh injury. They lost at home to the Golden State Warriors, who had an 8-29 road record entering that game, and have lost back-to-back games to the Hornets, who were 23-51 prior to the home-and-home against the Mavericks.

Dončić has still put up good numbers in those three losses, scoring at least 30 points in all three games and 40 in Sunday's loss. But the Mavericks have struggled to win games since they acquired Kyrie Irving, going 3-7 in the 10 games that the two All-Stars have played together.

As the regular season ends in less than two weeks, Dallas has nine games to either get into the play-in tournament or secure a playoff berth. At 36-39, the Mavericks are a game back of the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 10th seed, the final play-in spot, and 2.5 games back of the Warriors for the sixth seed, the lowest seed a team can get without having to play in the play-in tournament.

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