“I don’t give a f—”: Jason Kidd fires back at critics after Rockets loss

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd is growing frustrated with what he believes are missed foul calls against Cooper Flagg late in games.

Flagg drove to the basket in the closing moments of Dallas’ loss to the Houston Rockets and did not receive a whistle. He remained on the floor looking toward the official, but no call was made.

After the game, Kidd did not hold back.

“I saw a foul. Sean (Wright), Simone (Jelks) & Jason (Goldberg) were awful tonight,” He said. “It’s unacceptable. It’s a foul & he needs to be at the free throw line. Does he make both? That’s up to the player.”

Later in the postgame news conference, Kidd bristled at a question about the national criticism surrounding his point guard usage. Before the question could be fully asked about Flagg becoming a good ball handler, Kidd cut in sharply.

“I don’t give a fuck about the criticism,” Kidd said. “That’s your opinion. You guys write that bullshit. I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I’ve played it at a very high level & I know what the fuck I’m doing. But I don’t 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’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.”

Kidd has been repeatedly asked throughout the season about playing Flagg at point guard earlier in his career, and the line of questioning appeared to wear thin. National criticism of Kidd’s decisions has followed him throughout the season, adding to the tension.

Here are two thoughts from the 111-107 loss on Saturday:

Flagg’s big game

With under two minutes remaining, Flagg converted a layup to cut Houston’s lead to two points. His big night, however, was not enough. Alperen Sengun answered with a floater to help lift the Rockets past the Mavericks.

With a loss, the Rockets tied their series with the Mavericks at two games a piece. Two of the four games were within nine points. The Mavericks have lost four games in a row.

With the Dallas Mavericks trailing in the fourth quarter, Flagg went into attack mode.

The 6-foot-9 forward bullied his way into the lane on back-to-back possessions, resulting in two baskets. Both times, he ended up on the ground looking for a foul call. On the third possession, Flagg rose over Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie and knocked down a midrange jumper while drawing a foul.

Flagg is coming off a teenage-record 49-point performance in Dallas’ previous game against the Charlotte Hornets. Houston countered by throwing its top wing defenders,  a group that has helped the Rockets post the sixth defensive rating in the NBA,  at Flagg. Still, neither Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. nor Tari Eason could keep the former Duke forward from getting to his spots.

Flagg finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in the loss. He became the first teenager in NBA history to record consecutive 30-point double-doubles, according to ESPN. Flagg also joined LeBron James and Luka Dončić as the only teenagers with consecutive 25-point double-doubles.

Mavs defense

Sengun, who entered the night averaging 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds, missed a floater that rolled off the rim, then was called for an over-the-back foul while attempting to secure the offensive rebound. He shook his head as he ran back on defense.

Sengun finished with 14 points and 14 rebounds on 6-of-20 shooting (30 percent). Dallas center Daniel Gafford helped make things difficult for the Rockets’ big man at Toyota Center.

Gafford turned in one of his stronger performances of the season, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He has played through a sprained ankle suffered within the first 10 minutes of the team’s opening training camp practice.

Brandon Williams knocked down two 3-pointers in the first quarter and scored 13 points in the period, but his night was cut short when Rockets guard Reed Sheppard collided with his knees while diving for a loose ball. Williams did not return because of a left knee contusion. It marked the second straight game in which Williams left with an injury.

Dallas struggled to contain Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr., who finished with 19 points and eight rebounds. The Mavericks focused their defensive attention on Kevin Durant and Sengun, leaving Smith open on multiple possessions. On the other end, Smith was a defensive presence, blocking three shots and limiting Mavericks wing Naji Marshall, who scored eight points.