Luka Dončić's Technical Foul Rescinded, Avoids Suspension amid Mavs' Playoff Push

The Dallas Mavericks have been floundering down the stretch, losing four games in a row and 13 of their last 18 contests.

They got at least one good piece of news on Monday, as the NBA announced that Luka Dončić's technical foul from Sunday's loss against the Charlotte Hornets—which would have been his 16th of the season and thus resulted in a one-game suspension—has been rescinded.

Being without Dončić, even for a game, could have posed a serious concern for the Mavericks. The team sits at 36-39 on the season and in 11th place in the Western Conference, out of the running for both the playoffs and the play-in tournament.

All is not lost, however. The Mavs are only 2.5 games back of the Golden State Warriors for the No. 6 seed in the West, the final guaranteed playoff seed. And the team only trails the Oklahoma City Thunder by one game for the 10th seed, the final guaranteed play-in tournament berth.

Dončić, of course, has to try to avoid that 16th technical foul in the final seven games of the season. The Mavericks need him on the court, especially with some difficult matchups against teams like the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and Sacramento Kings upcoming.

The 24-year-old has had another excellent season, averaging 33.1 points, 8.7 rebounds and 8.2 assists while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from three.

While there have been some wrinkles that need to be ironed out between he and Kyrie Irving—the Mavs are just 6-10 in games Irving has played for them since being acquired by the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the February trade deadline—there's little doubt that Dončić finally has a true superstar running mate.

That, in turn, gives this Mavs team a higher ceiling than previous iterations with Dončić. It also has made it surprising, and surely frustrating in Dallas, that the team is capsizing at such a crucial moment.

Monday's news, at least, provides some hope. The Mavs will take all the positive vibes they can get at this point.