By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks lost once again to the Sacramento Kings (111-99) as the race for avoiding the play-in tournament in the West remains open.
Doncic scored 30 points before getting ejected in the final minute after his second technical foul in another game without injured Latvian Kristaps Porzingis.
Coach Rick Carlisle also got two techs in tandem with his 22-year-old star, the first pair coming in the second quarter before the second batch — and the ejection of both — with 31 seconds remaining.
Doncic actually has the 16 techs required for an automatic one-game suspension, but one against New York on April 2 was rescinded. Doncic questioned why he got the second technical for throwing the ball at the basket going into a timeout, and the team could petition for another to get rescinded.
“If you get a tech for that, I don’t know,” Doncic said.
There’s a three-way tie between the 5th and the 7th position with the Mavs being fifth at the moment, the Lakers sixth after losing to the Raptors (121-1114) while missing both Marc Gasol and Dennis Schroder, and the Blazers being seventh after beating the Celtics 129-119.
Bosnian Beast Jusuf Nurkic had a double-double (14 p. 11 r.) for the winning side, while Frenchman Evan Fournier scored 21 points for the Celtics.
The Heat got the 121-111 win over the Hornets with Slovenian Goran Dragic returning to action and scored 18 points, as Miami climbed to the 6th position in the East with a 35-30 record, leaving the Celtics (34-31) behind.
The Knicks beat the Rockets 122-97, the Sixers escaped the Spurs after overtime just by two points (113-111) and the Suns beat OKC 123-120 to remain the team with the top record in the NBA.
In the biggest game of the day, the Bucks beat the Nets.
Eastern Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | 21 | 0.672 | — | 27-9 | 10-2 | 25-7 | 18-14 | 4-2 | 6-4 | W 4 | |
| 43 | 22 | 0.662 | 0.5 | 23-15 | 8-4 | 25-8 | 18-14 | 2-2 | 6-4 | L 2 | |
| 40 | 24 | 0.625 | 3 | 25-11 | 10-0 | 21-10 | 19-14 | 1-1 | 6-4 | W 2 | |
| 36 | 28 | 0.563 | 7 | 23-17 | 3-8 | 22-11 | 14-17 | 3-1 | 9-1 | W 2 | |
| 35 | 30 | 0.538 | 8.5 | 21-17 | 6-3 | 19-11 | 16-19 | 2-2 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| 35 | 30 | 0.538 | 8.5 | 20-17 | 6-6 | 19-14 | 16-16 | 0-4 | 7-3 | W 3 | |
|
7  Boston Celtics
|
34 | 31 | 0.523 | 9.5 | 19-17 | 4-7 | 21-13 | 13-18 | 2-2 | 5-5 | L 1 |
| 31 | 33 | 0.484 | 12 | 18-19 | 7-3 | 17-14 | 14-19 | 1-1 | 4-6 | L 1 | |
| 30 | 33 | 0.476 | 12.5 | 16-19 | 6-4 | 11-19 | 19-14 | 5-1 | 5-5 | W 1 | |
| 29 | 35 | 0.453 | 14 | 11-23 | 2-7 | 16-17 | 13-18 | 2-1 | 8-2 | L 1 | |
| 27 | 38 | 0.415 | 16.5 | 17-22 | 4-8 | 16-16 | 11-22 | 0-0 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
| 26 | 38 | 0.406 | 17 | 16-18 | 5-5 | 12-19 | 14-19 | 2-2 | 4-6 | L 3 | |
| 21 | 43 | 0.328 | 22 | 15-23 | 4-7 | 12-19 | 9-24 | 3-0 | 1-9 | L 6 | |
| 20 | 44 | 0.313 | 23 | 12-23 | 4-6 | 11-23 | 9-21 | 1-1 | 3-7 | W 1 | |
| 19 | 45 | 0.297 | 24 | 12-25 | 1-10 | 12-17 | 7-28 | 1-3 | 3-7 | L 2 |
Western Conference
| TEAM | W | L | WIN% | GB | CONF | DIV | HOME | ROAD | OT | LAST 10 | STREAK |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | 18 | 0.719 | — | 27-10 | 7-3 | 25-9 | 21-9 | 3-3 | 7-3 | W 4 | |
| 46 | 18 | 0.719 | — | 22-12 | 5-4 | 27-4 | 19-14 | 0-3 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
| 43 | 21 | 0.672 | 3 | 25-13 | 8-1 | 24-10 | 19-11 | 4-2 | 9-1 | W 5 | |
| 43 | 22 | 0.662 | 3.5 | 26-13 | 8-3 | 24-9 | 19-13 | 0-0 | 6-4 | L 3 | |
|
5  Dallas Mavericks
|
36 | 28 | 0.563 | 10 | 20-19 | 6-4 | 17-15 | 19-13 | 1-0 | 6-4 | L 1 |
| 36 | 28 | 0.563 | 10 | 21-15 | 3-7 | 17-15 | 19-13 | 4-1 | 3-7 | L 3 | |
| 36 | 28 | 0.563 | 10 | 18-18 | 4-6 | 16-16 | 20-12 | 1-0 | 5-5 | W 4 | |
| 32 | 31 | 0.508 | 13.5 | 14-22 | 4-6 | 14-17 | 18-14 | 2-2 | 5-5 | L 1 | |
| 32 | 32 | 0.500 | 14 | 18-16 | 4-7 | 19-11 | 13-21 | 1-0 | 6-4 | W 1 | |
| 31 | 32 | 0.492 | 14.5 | 16-20 | 6-6 | 13-20 | 18-12 | 2-5 | 5-5 | L 3 | |
| 29 | 35 | 0.453 | 17 | 17-19 | 6-4 | 17-16 | 12-19 | 2-4 | 4-6 | W 2 | |
| 27 | 37 | 0.422 | 19 | 15-20 | 5-7 | 14-18 | 13-19 | 1-0 | 5-5 | W 2 | |
| 21 | 44 | 0.323 | 25.5 | 11-24 | 3-8 | 9-24 | 12-20 | 1-2 | 1-9 | L 3 | |
| 20 | 45 | 0.308 | 26.5 | 14-25 | 5-6 | 12-20 | 8-25 | 0-5 | 6-4 | L 1 | |
| 16 | 49 | 0.246 | 30.5 | 10-28 | 5-7 | 8-26 | 8-23 | 0-1 | 2-8 | L 2 |
