The Dallas Mavericks wasted no time disciplining Rajon Rondo for his verbal exchange with head coach Rick Carlisle.
Dallas suspended Rondo one game for conduct detrimental to the team a day after the point guard got into a shouting match with Carlisle during the third quarter of Tuesday's win over the Toronto Raptors.
The two apparently engaged in another heated exchange in the locker room after the game, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.
Rondo, who was benched for the duration of the fourth quarter, will serve the suspension Wednesday against the Eastern Conference-best Atlanta Hawks.
Carlisle downplayed the confrontation following Tuesday's 99-92 victory, but it wasn't enough to prevent the four-time All-Star from punishment.
"It’s an emotional game and we had a difference of opinion, so there was an exchange and then in my mind it was over." he said after the game.
Ahead of Rondo's suspension on Wednesday, Carlisle had this to add:
I need to say this very clearly. He is an extremely important part of our team. Our efforts to get to the highest possible level largely hinge on him playing and him playing well. He needs to play well with us and we need to play well with him. It’s a two-way street. The incident last night was borne, in large part, from poor communication between him and I. That is on both of us.
We had a long talk about the situation today and we both agreed we need to communicate more frequently. We need to work on the solution for making his stint as a Dallas Maverick the most successful one possible. We are looking at 23 games (remaining) here. This is a critical time here.
It's the latest chapter in Rondo's rocky ride with the Mavericks. The 29-year-old has struggled immensely since being acquired from the Boston Celtics in December.
Rondo's averaging nine points and 6.2 assists with the Mavericks, and his shooting woes have remained since moving to the Lone Star State.
He's shooting 40.8 percent from the field, continuing a poor trend from last season, and has started working with teammate Dirk Nowitzki's longtime shooting coach in an effort to rediscover his stroke.
The struggles have been especially apparent at the free-throw line, as Rondo's shooting a career-worst 31.1 percent from the charity stripe.
Dallas - without Rondo, Amar'e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Chandler Parsons - saw its three-game winning streak end Wednesday night in Atlanta. The Hawks outscored the Mavericks 57-34 in the second half, winning 104-87. Dallas is 39-21 on the season.
