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Luka Fined $35K For Money Gesture To Refs In Mavs-Warriors

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Luka fined $35K for money gesture to refs in Mavs-Warriors

The NBA fined Luka Dončić $35,000 on Friday for a gesture he made during Wednesday's heated game between the Dallas Mavericks and Warriors.

In a statement released Friday, the NBA deemed the guard's gesture that occurred with 1.7 seconds remaining of the Mavericks' 127-125 loss to be "inappropriate and unprofessional."

The notion, which Doncic rubbed his fingers together signaling that the officials had been paid off in the game, came after the 24-year-old missed a layup but believed Draymond Green fouled him on the shot.

Doncic already has 15 technical fouls on the season and is one away from an automatic one-game suspension. 

RELATED: What happens to Warriors if Mavs' protest deemed successful?

The Mavericks (36-37) currently sit in a four-way tie in eighth place as they aim to qualify for a spot in the postseason. The Warriors (38-36) remain in sixth place and are set to take on the 76ers on Friday at 7 p.M. PT.

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Luka Doncic Fined $35,000 For Implying Warriors Paid Off Refs

March 24, 2023Updated: March 24, 2023 12:52 p.M.

Luka Doncic was furious with officials at the end of Wednesday night's loss to the Warriors.

Tony Gutierrez/AP

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic was fined $35,000 "for directing an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official" during the Warriors' 127-125 win over the Mavs, the league announced Friday. 

The gesture happened in the final moments of the game, after Doncic felt that Draymond Green should have been called for a foul. After the play, the Mavs star made the universal money sign of rubbing his fingers together toward the officials, implying that they were paid off. He was not punished for the move during the game.

The Mavericks' complaints about the officials during Wednesday's game did not stop on the floor. Owner Mark Cuban announced that the team will file a protest in response to the loss, though a successful one hasn't been filed since 2008.

Just like what happened to Doncic, Cuban's actions could have financial consequences as well. The last time Cuban filed a protest, in 2020, he was fined $500,000 after the league denied his motion for his criticism of officials. Considering he called out officials for making the "worst officiating non call mistake possibly in the history of the NBA," a fine will be quite likely should this protest fail too. The NBA also charges teams a $10,000 fee to file a protest, which gets refunded if the protest is upheld.

The Mavericks' Wednesday night loss gave the Dubs the tiebreaker over Dallas, which now sits in eighth place in the West. Luka and the Mavs are closer to the 12th-place Jazz than they are to the sixth-place Warriors. Some frustration, then, is understandable, but in Dallas, whining about the refs is the norm.

Gabe Fernandez is a sports reporter for SFGATE. You can reach him at gabe.Fernandez@sfgate.Com.

Luka Doncic Will Probably Be Fined By The NBA For Flashing The Money Sign At A Ref

Oh, Luka Doncic. It's kind of ironic that appearing to do the "money" gesture — holding your hand up with your fingers toward the sky and rubbing them together, see: Manziel, Johnny — at a referee will probably end up costing you cash.

On Wednesday night, in the final seconds of the Dallas Mavericks' loss to the Golden State Warriors, Doncic wasn't happy about the lack of a foul call on Draymond Green. So he appeared to imply the referee had been paid off.

Given the league's history with ex-ref Tim Donaghy, I'm sure Adam Silver won't take that one lightly. Here's that moment:

Yes, that's the same game that the Mavs might protest after a bizarre moment in which the team defended the wrong basket, gifting a free hoop to the Dubs. Dallas owner Mark Cuban tweeted that a call was changed, giving possession to the Warriors.

So, yeah, there's A LOT to take away from this one.

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