"Is the Dallas game fake?" - NBA fans call out Mavericks for tanking against Thunder with Luka Doncic sidelined from game

The finale of the 2023–24 NBA season is one of the most intense game days for teams to secure their final spot for the playoffs. However, as intense as the other teams have been tonight, the Dallas Mavericks have been somewhat passive. Their final game of the season ended in a loss against the OKC Thunder and fans have started to call them out.

Dallas didn't have All-Stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving tonight as they're both out due to injuries. For this, the only official starter for the Mavs was Tim Hardaway Jr. The absence of Doncic and Irving resulted in the Thunder winning by 49 points.

Fans called out the Mavs for seemingly "tanking," as they finish the season in the fifth spot in the Western Conference. They were without their best players, especially Doncic and Irving. Fans think the team didn't take their finale seriously.

There were a few fans who speculated what the Mavs did tonight looked like "tanking," as they were not with their star.

"Is the Dallas Mavericks game fake?," one fan on X asked.

"Did we even try?" X user @Jerry49372 had some questions after the team's subpar performance.

"Entire team doing cardio out there," @yobrosweetcap called the team out for their lack of effort.

There were a few fans who were locked in the playoffs but also showed concern for their performance.

"Terrible loss, just hope this doesn’t carry over into playoffs," @JeromeBureman has a more serious concern than tonight's loss.

"Please go all the way to the championship and win," despite the loss, @11_JEK has high hopes for the Mavs.

"Well…..onto the playoffs," X user @CantCookJyair is more focused on the next series of games.

Even with the loss, the Mavs have secured the fifth spot in the Western Conference. This means they'll play against the LA Clippers in the first round.

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Where did the Mavericks star finish in the MVP race?

NBA.com released their final MVP race rankings, and Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets came out on top. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Thunder is trailing him closely. Doncic, meanwhile, is third in the race.

Still, his outstanding talents have been a significant reason why he's high on the list. It's up to the voters now to think about and assess how these potential finalists have performed.