NBA investigating Mavericks for 'roster decisions' vs. Bulls on Friday

Even though the Dallas Mavericks' tumultuous season will come to an end on Sunday, there still might be some trouble facing them in the interim.

The Mavericks are currently under investigation for how they handled their personnel in Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls, the league announced Saturday.

"The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances of the Dallas Mavericks’ roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night’s Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions," league spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement.

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Dallas made five key players, including Kyrie Irving, late scratches for Friday's game, and Luka Dončić was subbed out of the game early in the second quarter and never returned.

The Mavericks ultimately lost Friday's game 115-112 against a Bulls team that rested many of its top players after clinching a play-in tournament berth. Friday's loss eliminated the Mavericks from playoff and play-in contention.

Friday's loss also gave the Mavericks a leg up on the Bulls for lottery odds if Chicago fails to reach the playoffs. Dallas owes its 2023 first-round pick to the New York Knicks, but only if it falls out of the top 10. With Friday's loss, the Mavericks moved into sole possession of the league's 10th-worst record. If they lose Sunday's regular-season finale, they'll likely get to keep their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.

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