HOUSTON — Jason Kidd knew it was an unfair expectation for the Mavericks to receive an encore scoring explosion from their star rookie, especially against one of the best defensive teams in the NBA.
“We can’t expect Cooper to have 49 tonight,” the Mavericks coach said before his team faced the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.
Flagg didn’t replicate the highest-scoring game of his career, but he produced his fourth-best offensive performance with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in a 111-107 loss at Toyota Center.
After the game, Kidd voiced frustration at the officials during his postgame news conference, specifically toward Flagg’s layup attempt with 25 seconds left that could’ve tied the game at 109.
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“I saw a foul,” Kidd said before calling the officiating crew out by name. “Sean (Wright), Simone (Jelks) and Jason (Goldberg) were awful tonight. It’s unacceptable. It’s a foul and he needs to be at the free throw line. Does he make both? That’s up to the player.”
Jason Kidd was livid during his postgame presser. He thought Cooper Flagg was fouled on this layup attempt.
“I saw a foul. Sean (Wright), Simone (Jelks) & Jason (Goldberg) were awful tonight. It’s unacceptable. It’s a foul & he needs to be at the free throw line. Does he make… pic.twitter.com/pt5Jun7IC2
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) February 1, 2026
For the second consecutive game, Flagg had an opportunity to tie in the waning seconds of the game but couldn’t convert. He was surrounded by Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson on the shot attempt, but the officials did not blow their whistles.
“I definitely felt some contact, but at the end of the day, the refs are the ones making the calls,” Flagg said. “It is what it is.”
Flagg was also asked for his reaction to Kidd’s defense of him.
“Just trust,” I feel like J-Kidd has a lot of trust in me and I have a lot of trust in him. Just building that relationship. I feel that we gotta continue to grow our bond and that’s just him having my back.”
The Rockets were called for 20 fouls, while the Mavericks were issued just 12. Houston had 15 free throw attempts and made 11, but the Mavericks benefitted from 26 attempts, only making just 15. Flagg connected on seven on his 10 attempts from the stripe.
Kidd said his team persevered throughout the night despite what they believed was a lack of a whistle.
“We fight. We’re going to play, not complain,” Kidd said. “At some point, it’s gotta be a review. He drives the ball. He gets slapped. It’s a foul. If it was the other way, it would be a foul. Just being consistent and tonight the referees were not consistent.”
Flagg has shown a significant improvement in initiating offense and handling ball pressure since the start of his rookie season when Kidd used him as the starting point guard for the first seven games. It was a decision that was met with national criticism since Flagg, a natural small forward, was new to the position.
After the game, Kidd was asked about the criticism and dismissed the question with an expletive-laced response, using the F-word four times.
“I don’t give a f— about the criticism. ”That’s your opinion,” Kidd said. “You guys write that bulls—. ”I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I’ve played it at a very high level. and I know what the f— I’m doing.
“I don’t give a f— what you guys write because you guys have never played the game. I have built players so I know what the f— I’m doing. To take criticism, it only makes me better because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes at what I’ve done.”
Moments before Flagg’s potential-game tying miss, he brought the Mavericks within two points with a left-handed layup, which set up a game-tying floater by Naji Marshall with 47 seconds left.
However, Alperen Sengun gave the Rockets the lead for good once he connected on a layup over Max Christie with 28.6 seconds left.
On a night when the Mavericks lost two rotation players to injury, Flagg kept his team competitive with the fifth 30-point game of his career. With his latest performance, he became the first teenager in NBA history with consecutive 30-point double-doubles, according to ESPN.
However, his production alone wasn’t enough to match Houston, which had six players reach double scoring figures. The Rockets were led by Thompson, who came close to a triple-double with 21 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Jabari Smith Jr. had 19 points with eight assists.
It appeared as if Brandon Williams would be Flagg’s co-star, but the Mavericks point guard suffered a right lower leg contusion in the second quarter of Saturday’s game. Williams collided with Rockets guard Reed Sheppard in the second quarter and did not return to the game.
Williams scored all 13 points in the first quarter, providing an instant lift from the bench. PJ Washington also exited the game in the third quarter with a head contusion, which continued Dallas’ woeful string of injuries.
Kidd did not provide an injury update for either player, but acknowledged the team’s inability to stay healthy this season.
“The one thing that’s been consistent is injuries,” Kidd said. “We’ve been hit with a lot of injuries and unfortunately, it’s weighing and stretching guys. It’s next man up mentality and the guys have responded in a positive way.”
The Mavericks will return home to prepare for Tuesday’s matchup against the Boston Celtics, Flagg’s favorite team growing up in Newport, Maine.
The game arrives right in the midst of Flagg’s best two-game stretch as a pro.
Twitter/X: @MikeACurtis2
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