Mavericks Fined $25K for Violating NBA Rules Regarding Bench Behavior

The NBA announced Friday that it has fined the Dallas Mavericks $25,000 for violating the league's rules regarding bench behavior. 

The league noted that "on multiple occasions" a number of Dallas players and a member of the coaching staff were "on or encroaching upon the playing court during game action" in the Mavericks' 129-109 road defeat to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday.

Theo Pinson and Tim Hardaway Jr. are among the players who have been a little rowdy when cheering on their teammates during the 2022 postseason. Hardaway told ESPN's Tim MacMahon that their job is to be "energy-givers." 

Pinson added that the bench "probably" does "more s--t talking than coaching." That was on full display when the bench mocked Utah Jazz veteran Rudy Gobert after he missed a free throw during their first-round series. 

"We just try to do everything we can to help our teammates," Pinson told MacMahon. "We just want to give ourselves an advantage. We're causing a problem for the other team, just mentally. I don't see other teams doing what we do."

Before the playoffs began, the NBA included the Mavericks in a Points of Education video sent to teams, according to MacMahon. The video showed an instance of the Dallas bench doing exactly what it was fined for—violating "bench decorum guidelines." 

In the video, a number of players, including Pinson and Hardaway, were seen jumping on the court to celebrate a Reggie Bullock blocked shot in a road victory over the Los Angeles Lakers in March. 

The Mavericks are down 2-0 to the Suns in their second-round series. Game 3 is scheduled for Friday night at American Airlines Center in Dallas.