The Dallas Mavericks’ continued life after the Luka Dončić trade, but things went from bad to worse on Monday against the Sacramento Kings.
Aside from blowing a double-digit fourth-quarter lead and losing in overtime, the Mavericks dealt with a chaotic night all around, specifically involving a frustrated fanbase.
Days after Mavericks fans protested the trade that sent Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a first-round pick, their tune didn’t change during Monday’s game. As ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported, multiple fans were ejected in the second half of the Kings game.
Some fans chanted for the Mavs to “fire Nico [Harrison],” others held up signs calling for the same and per MacMahon, team owner Patrick Dumont was loudly booed during the third quarter.
Most notable, though, was an interaction involving two fans and longtime Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
Cuban, who sits in a baseline seat near the Mavericks’ bench, reportedly fired a NSFW response at two fans who were shouting for the team to fire Harrison, per ESPN.
“Shut the f— up and sit the f— down!” Cuban yelled, according to footage a fan showed to ESPN.
According to the report, Cuban stated he did not curse at the fans until they pointed and shouted directly at him.
A wild night was culminated by head coach Jason Kidd opting not to hold a postgame press conference, which is rarely (if ever) seen. It’ll be interesting to see how the Mavericks organization rebounds from the pushback by the fanbase, as it doesn’t seem to be cooling off at all.