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Entering the day on Friday, the Mavericks could still have secured a play-in spot if they\u2019d won their last two games of the season and the Thunder lost to Memphis on Sunday. However, Dallas essentially decided to throw in the towel on its chase for a postseason berth, sitting a number of regulars<\/a> (including Kyrie Irving<\/a>) and limiting Luka Doncic<\/a> to essentially a quarter of action.<\/p>\n Unsurprisingly, the Mavericks did indeed lose their game to Chicago, officially eliminating them from the play-in hunt. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN<\/a> writes, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters before the game that the decision was made by team owner Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were fighting for our lives, and understanding this is a situation we\u2019re in, but the organization has made the decision to change,\u201d\u00a0Kidd said. \u201cSo, you know, we have to go by that and that\u2019s something that happens. So the guys that are playing, we got to go out there and put our best foot forward, and we talked about that this afternoon.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking after the game, Kidd said that the move was less about \u201cwaving the white flag\u201d and more about prioritizing the future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s decisions sometimes are hard in this business,\u201d he said, per MacMahon. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to build a championship team. With this decision, this is maybe a step back. But hopefully, it leads to going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked if he agreed with the decision to prioritize the future instead of the present by sitting players on Friday, Kidd replied, \u201c<\/em>Those are my bosses, so yes.\u201d<\/p>\n Kidd confirmed after Friday\u2019s loss that Doncic and Irving definitely won\u2019t be playing in Sunday\u2019s regular-season finale, with other regulars likely to join them on the sidelines (Twitter link<\/a> via Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News).<\/p>\n Here\u2019s more on the Mavs:<\/p>\n\n