NBA fines Mavs again for rowdy bench behavior

(AFP) — The NBA cracked down on the rowdy behavior of the Dallas bench on Wednesday, fining the Mavs’ $50,000 for violating “team bench decorum” rules in their series-clinching victory over the Phoenix Suns.

It’s the second such fine levied against the Mavs in two weeks, and doubled the $25,000 penalty meted out on May 6.

PHOENIX, AZ – MAY 15: Theo Pinson #1, Tim Hardaway Jr. #11, Boban Marjanovic #51 and the Dallas Mavericks celebrate during Game 7 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs Western Conference Semifinals on May 15, 2022 at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Kate Frese / NBAE / Getty Images / Getty Images via AFP)

NBA president of league operations Byron Spruell said the amount of the fine reflected the team’s “prior infractions” during the playoffs.

The fine was announced hours before Luka Doncic and the Mavericks opened the Western Conference finals against the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco.

Slovenian star Doncic scored 35 points as the Mavericks completed a stunning upset of the top-seeded Suns with a 123-90 game-seven rout on Sunday.

But the league ruled the Mavs’ boisterous bench overstepped the mark — in some cases literally — again during that contest.

“On multiple occasions, several players and a member of the coaching staff stood for an extended period in the Mavericks’ team bench area, stood away from the team bench, and were on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action,” the league said in a statement.