The Dallas Mavericks are having an absolutely brutal time right now.
The Mavericks’ hopes of making the play-in tournament faded even further on Sunday with a 132-130 loss to the Atlanta Hawks in overtime. The defeat dropped Dallas to an unsightly 37-42 (guaranteeing a losing record) and put them 1.5 games back of the play-in with just three games left to play.
To add insult to injury, Mavericks star Luka Doncic was literally insulted by the fans of the Hawks. During the game, they taunted Doncic by chanting at him, “You are fat!” (per Mavs writer Grant Afseth).
Hawks fans with a "You are fat" chant as Luka Doncic is at the free throw line.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) April 2, 2023
Doncic has been criticized for his weight numerous times in his NBA career. While the four-time All-Star has poked fun at himself over his figure before, that chant from the Atlanta faithful seemed anything but good-natured.
This is turning out to be the season from hell for Doncic and the Mavs, who are now just 8-16 since Kyrie Irving debuted for the team. Doncic also recently had some concerning comments after a previous ugly loss.
