DALLAS -- Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban called Donald Sterlings purported comments about minorities "abhorrent" while saying he didnt think the NBA could force him out as owner of the Los Angeles Clippers. Speaking in Dallas locker room before Game 4 of a first-round series against San Antonio on Monday night, Cuban said he trusted Commissioner Adam Silver to "operate under the best interest of the NBA." The outspoken billionaire said it was a "slippery slope" to suggest that Sterling should be forced out as owner over comments made in the privacy of his home. "What Donald said was wrong. It was abhorrent," Cuban said. "Theres no place for racism in the NBA, any business Im associated with. But at the same time, thats a decision I make. I think youve got to be very, very careful when you start making blanket statements about what people say and think, as opposed to what they do. Its a very, very slippery slope." Two days earlier, Cuban declined to give his opinion over the brewing saga of the racist comments that Sterling is alleged to have made in a taped conversation. While he was more forceful in his rebuke of Sterling in front of about two dozen reporters Monday, Cuban questioned how the league would legislate other forms of discrimination. "How many people are bigoted in one way or the other in this league?" Cuban asked. "I dont know. But you find one, all of a sudden you say well, you cant play favourites being racist against African-Americans. Where do you draw the line?" Asked if the league would be better off without Sterling as an owner, Cuban said, "At this point, yes." "But that has nothing to do with the rules that we have to live by," Cuban said. "Theres a lot of things I dont agree with that by letter and rule of law has to happen anyway. When you live in a country of laws, you want to support there are laws." Cuban noted that he recently fought the Securities and Exchange Commission over claims that he broke laws on insider trading. And he has remained outspoken against the SEC since he won the civil lawsuit the agency filed against him over the sale of his shares in an Internet company. "Yet I still support the rule of law," Cuban said. "Theres a reason why we have a (league) constitution. Its worked for 50, however many years. It will continue to work." Braves Jerseys 2020 . As TSN reported Thursday, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is under intense pressure from the federal government to focus drug testing on athletes who compete in international events representing Canada. Since funding for the tests has been frozen and the cost of testing can eclipse $1,000 per test, university athletes in a number of sports are being tested less often. 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Defenceman Erik Karlsson had a goal and two assists, and goalie Robin Lehner made 35 saves to help the Senators halt a six-game losing streak. "Its been a frustrating stretch of games here and difficult emotionally for us to lose that many hockey games in a row at this time of year," Spezza said. "Hopefully we can string a few together and feel good about ourselves again and just move forward," Karlsson said. "I think weve improved our game a lot, even though it hasnt been enough lately." Karlsson, the top-scoring defenceman in the NHL with 68 points, opened the scoring 3:57 into the game with his career-high 20th goal. Seventy seconds later, Nikita Kucherov snapped a shot past Lehner to tie it at 1. Ottawa took a 3-1 lead midway through the second period, when Spezza and Kyle Turris scored 44 seconds apart against former Senators goalie Ben Bishop. "Hes one of the best players in the world," Bishop said of Spezza. "I had him last time, he got me this time. I think were even now." The Lightning rallied from a two-goal deficit with power-play goals by Victor Hedman at 13:26 of the second period and Steven Stamkos at 5:44 of the third.dddddddddddd Bishop finished with 29 stops for Tampa Bay, which has earned a point in nine consecutive games (5-0-4) for the first time since its 2003-04 championship season. The loss, however, dropped the Lightning into a third-place tie in the Eastern Conference with the Montreal Canadiens, who won a shootout at Boston. "We need to get every point that we can," Hedman said. "We want to be as high up in the standings as we can and get home ice." The Senators, meanwhile, are determined to finish strong. "We are fighting to the end and its nice for the guys to get this one," said Lehner, who won only once in his first seven career shootout appearances. Notes: Stamkos played in his 400th NHL game. ... Ottawa RW Bobby Ryan (lower body) sat out for the first time this season. He was replaced by Mark Stone, who was recalled from AHL affiliate Binghamton. ... Lightning C Valtteri Filppula has four goals and nine assists during a nine-game points streak. ... Tampa Bay has scored on the power play five games in a row. ... The Lightning have scored three or more goals in nine consecutive games. The Senators have allowed that many in 10 straight. ... The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds were in attendance. ' ' '