The NBA will investigate the Dallas Mavericks' decision to sit out several key players in Friday night's 115-112 loss to the Chicago Bulls that eliminated the team from Western Conference play-in contention.

"The NBA commenced an investigation today into the facts and circumstances surrounding the Dallas Mavericks' roster decisions and game conduct with respect to last night's Chicago Bulls-Mavericks game, including the motivations behind those actions," NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said Saturday afternoon.

Dallas entered the day tied with the Bulls for the 10th-best lottery odds and owes the New York Knicks a top-10-protected pick as the final payment for the Kristaps Porzingis trade.

Mavs coach Jason Kidd called it an "organizational decision" to rest the majority of Dallas' regular rotation, attributing the choice to governor Mark Cuban and general manager Nico Harrison.

The Mavs announced late Friday morning that All-Star guard Kyrie Irving (right foot injury recovery), shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. (left ankle soreness), small forward Josh Green (rest) and power forward/centers Maxi Kleber (right hamstring injury recovery) and Christian Wood (rest) would all sit out against the Bulls, essentially for precautionary reasons.