Doncic fined $35,000 for gesture
NEW YORK — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was fined $35,000 on Friday for directing a money sign toward officials in the final seconds of a loss to Golden State.
Doncic walked toward officials while rubbing his fingers together with 1.7 seconds left in the 127-125 loss on Wednesday night. The four-time All-star apparently was upset that a foul wasn't called when he missed a layup.
Dallas was trailing 125-122 when Doncic caught a pass under the basket and his layup bounced off the back of the rim. After the Mavericks committed a foul to stop the clock, Doncic made the gesture.
The NBA said the fine was for “an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official.”
Officials didn't give him a technical over the gesture. Doncic frequently complains to officials and is one technical foul away from 16 this season, which would trigger a onegame suspension. The count doesn't carry over into the playoffs.
Dallas owner Mark Cuban said he planned to protest the loss to the Warriors over a sequence late in the third quarter that led to an uncontested dunk for Golden State's Kevon Looney.
The Mavericks thought they had possession coming out of a timeout and lined up on their offensive end. The Warriors inbounded on the other end with no defenders, leading to Looney's easy bucket for a 90-87 Golden State lead.
Before the timeout, official Andy Nagy signaled possession for Golden State when the ball went out of bounds, but he quickly pointed to the Dallas bench to indicate a timeout.
The Mavs contended that official Michael Smith must have thought Dallas had possession because he was on the same end of the floor as the Mavs. Dallas believed officials should have stopped play to sort out the confusion.
Ingram gets key triple-double
Brandon Ingram had 30 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for the first triple-double of his seven-year NBA career, leading the host New Orleans Pelicans to a 115-96 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday night.
Ingram's huge night came at the right time for New Orleans, which won its third straight and now embarks on a key four-game road trip. The Pelicans (36-37) are tied with the Thunder, Mavericks and Lakers in the race to qualify for the Western Conference postseason.
Thursday’s highlights
Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points, making 13 of 15 field goals, and Los Angeles defeated Oklahoma City in the Clippers' first game since losing Paul George to a knee injury. … The Cavs' Evan Mobley had 26 points and 16 rebounds against the Nets. …
Quentin Grimes scored 25 in the Knicks' loss to the Magic. … Isaac Okoro hit a 3pointer from the corner with 0.7 seconds remaining and finished with 11 points as Cleveland sent Brooklyn to its fifth straight loss.