{"id":440202,"date":"2026-02-01T18:12:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-01T18:12:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/440202\/"},"modified":"2026-02-01T18:12:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-01T18:12:41","slug":"dallas-mavericks-drop-fourth-straight-in-narrow-loss-to-houston-rockets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/440202\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Mavericks Drop Fourth Straight In Narrow Loss To Houston Rockets"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Mavericks<\/a> were again within a possession of flipping the result, again had the ball late, and again walked off the floor with a narrow loss \u2014 this time falling 111-107 to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at Toyota Center as injuries, missed chances, and mounting frustration continued to define their recent stretch.<\/p>\n

Dallas erased multiple double-digit deficits, tied the game in the final minute, and had two late opportunities through Cooper Flagg<\/a> to force overtime or take the lead. Neither fell. The result was the Mavericks\u2019 fourth straight loss, despite another heavy-lift performance from their rookie cornerstone.<\/p>\n

Another One-Possession Finish Slips Away Late<\/p>\n

The Mavericks appeared to be climbing out of danger when Cooper Flagg attacked the lane for a finish and Naji Marshall<\/a> followed with a jumper to tie the game at 107 with just over a minute remaining.<\/p>\n

That tie was short-lived.<\/p>\n

Alperen \u015eeng\u00fcn<\/a> answered with a driving layup over Max Christie<\/a> with 28.6 seconds left, and after Dallas missed on the other end, Tari Eason<\/a> secured the rebound and dunked with 14.4 seconds remaining to push Houston back up four.<\/p>\n

Flagg\u2019s final look \u2014 a contested pull-up 3 \u2014 bounced off the rim, ending the night.<\/p>\n

For the second consecutive game, Flagg had a chance late to tie or decide the outcome. For the second consecutive game, the Mavericks were left searching for a different ending.<\/p>\n

Cooper Flagg Follows Historic Night With Another Heavy Load<\/p>\n

Two nights after setting the NBA record for points by a teenager with a 49-point performance against Charlotte, Flagg delivered again \u2014 finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.<\/p>\n

It marked his fifth 30-point game of the season and made him the first teenager in NBA history with consecutive 30-point double-doubles, according to ESPN. He scored at all three levels, handled ball pressure late, and once again became the focal point of Dallas\u2019 offense as the rotation thinned.<\/p>\n

Before the game, Jason Kidd<\/a> acknowledged the reality facing his team.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t expect Cooper to have 49 tonight,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cBut he\u2019s built to keep attacking and help us win.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flagg did exactly that, but his final two attempts \u2014 a driving layup with roughly 25 seconds remaining and the last 3-point shot \u2014 did not fall.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought I beat him off the first step,\u201d Flagg said. \u201cI thought I had him beat, so I tried to hold my line, hold the angle, and take the contact going to the rim. Just trying to finish the play.\u201d<\/p>\n

Late Whistle and Postgame Frustration Take Center Stage<\/p>\n

Kidd\u2019s frustration with the officiating was immediate and pointed, centering on Flagg\u2019s missed layup attempt that could have tied the game at 109.<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw a foul,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cSean (Wright), Simone (Jelks) and Jason (Goldberg) were awful tonight. It\u2019s unacceptable. It\u2019s a foul and he needs to be at the free-throw line. Does he make both? That\u2019s up to the player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kidd later expanded on the issue, emphasizing consistency rather than complaint.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe fight. We\u2019re going to play, not complain,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cBut at some point, it\u2019s gotta be a review. He drives the ball. He gets slapped. It\u2019s a foul. If it was the other way, it would be a foul. Just being consistent \u2014 and tonight the referees were not consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flagg acknowledged contact on the play but echoed a more measured perspective.<\/p>\n

\u201cI definitely felt some contact,\u201d Flagg said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, you never really rest on getting an and-one or getting a call. It is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked about Kidd\u2019s vocal defense of him, Flagg pointed to trust.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust trust,\u201d Flagg said. \u201cI feel like J-Kidd has a lot of trust in me and I have a lot of trust in him. We\u2019re just building that relationship. I feel that we gotta continue to grow our bond and that\u2019s just him having my back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fourth-Quarter Rally Reflects Pattern <\/p>\n

Dallas trailed by as many as 13 late in the third quarter after a Josh Okogie<\/a> 3-pointer. The Mavericks responded with a 13-5 run to close the period, cutting the deficit to 87-82 entering the fourth.<\/p>\n

Early in the final quarter, Klay Thompson<\/a> knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to halt Houston\u2019s momentum and trim the margin to eight. Later, with Dallas down 10, Flagg scored all six points in a 6-2 run to pull the Mavericks within 103-97 with 3\u00bd minutes remaining.<\/p>\n

After Kevin Durant<\/a> hit a jumper to restore Houston\u2019s cushion, Dallas again responded \u2014 scoring six straight points to cut the lead to 105-103 with two minutes left before the final sequence unfolded.<\/p>\n

It was the latest example of Dallas fighting back, but not breaking through.<\/p>\n

Injuries Continue to Stretch the Dallas Mavericks<\/p>\n

Dallas\u2019 uphill climb steepened when Brandon Williams<\/a> exited in the second quarter with a right lower leg contusion after colliding with Reed Sheppard<\/a>. Williams had scored all 13 of his points in the opening quarter, providing an immediate spark off the bench.<\/p>\n

P.J. Washington<\/a> later left in the third quarter with a head contusion, further thinning the rotation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing that\u2019s been consistent is injuries,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been hit with a lot of injuries and unfortunately, it\u2019s weighing and stretching guys. It\u2019s next man up mentality and the guys have responded in a positive way.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kidd did not provide postgame updates on either player.<\/p>\n

Daniel Gafford<\/a> said the team continues to focus on the long view despite the accumulation of close losses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a bit rough, for sure,\u201d Gafford said. \u201cOf course the frustration is there, but I think we\u2019re taking the right approach mentally. Throughout the process of these close games, we\u2019re learning different things we can do to prevent this in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Kidd Bristles at Criticism of Cooper Flagg\u2019s Role<\/p>\n

Postgame discussion also turned to national criticism surrounding Kidd\u2019s usage of Flagg, including extended on-ball responsibilities and early-season point guard duties.<\/p>\n

Kidd dismissed it forcefully.<\/p>\n

\u201cCriticism?\u201d Kidd said. \u201cThat\u2019s your opinion. You guys write that bullshit. I\u2019ve done this. I\u2019ve played this game. I\u2019ve played it at a very high level and I know what the fuck I\u2019m doing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t give a fuck what you guys write because you guys have never played the game. I have built players so I know what the fuck I\u2019m doing. To take criticism, it only makes me better because if I wasn\u2019t doing it right, you guys wouldn\u2019t be poking holes at what I\u2019ve done.\u201d<\/p>\n

What the Loss Says About the Dallas Mavericks Right Now<\/p>\n

Dallas fell to 19-30 and dropped a season-high-tying fourth straight loss after previously winning four in a row. The Mavericks held Kevin Durant to 13 points, fought through injuries, and again had the game within reach late \u2014 but were unable to convert.<\/p>\n

Houston, led by Amen Thompson<\/a>\u2019s 21 points, nine assists and eight rebounds, split the season series 2-2 and improved to 21-1 when holding opponents under 110 points.<\/p>\n

For Dallas, the night reinforced both the promise and the problem. Flagg continues to deliver historic production. The Mavericks continue to compete deep into games. The final step \u2014 closing \u2014 remains elusive.<\/p>\n

The Mavericks return home to host Boston on Tuesday night. The Rockets travel to Indiana on Monday.<\/p>\n

Latest Dallas Mavericks News & NBA Rumors<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Mavericks were again within a possession of flipping the result, again had the ball late, and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":440203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5117],"tags":[53487,7645,196,5047,147,5278,5,572,12888,53751,555,21101,53835,53836,4,53837,197],"class_list":{"0":"post-440202","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-stars","8":"tag-amen-thompson","9":"tag-cooper-flagg","10":"tag-dallas","11":"tag-dallas-mavericks","12":"tag-dallas-stars","13":"tag-dallasstars","14":"tag-hockey","15":"tag-houston-rockets","16":"tag-jason-kidd","17":"tag-mavericks-loss","18":"tag-nba","19":"tag-nba-news","20":"tag-nba-officiating","21":"tag-nba-recap","22":"tag-nhl","23":"tag-rockets-vs-mavericks","24":"tag-stars"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/115996730708390055","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/440203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}