Hassan Whiteside Got Ejected For A Kerfuffle With The Mavs After Fouling Luka Doncic

Game 5 between the Mavericks and Jazz in Dallas was never much of a contest, as the Mavs jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.

Dallas led by as many as 33 in the third quarter and were on cruise control in the mid-fourth quarter when things suddenly got chippy in the blowout. Luka Doncic, who was clearly enjoying being back in full from his calf strain in a 32-point, 13-rebound performance, went to the rim and tried to throw one down for an exclamation point on Hassan Whiteside. The Jazz reserve big man nearly got a block but was whistled for a foul as he tangled with Doncic, seemingly giving him a little extra toss to the ground as Luka fell.

That discard unsurprisingly led to the Mavs coming to their star’s aid, with Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock running over and a shoving match ensuing in a scrum that was a vintage NBA “fight.”

Bullock and Finney-Smith got technicals for their part in coming over and starting the shoving match with Whiteside, while the big man earned two technicals and an ejection for his role — Bullock likewise headed to the locker room early as he had gotten a technical foul earlier in the game for arguing a foul call.

It wasn’t really much from Whiteside on the foul, but the way Doncic went down made it look a bit worse and drew the attention of his teammates who came to his defense. Still, while not much of anything this was the most notable second half moment from the Jazz, who looked listless in one of the worst offensive performances of the playoffs so far.