Flagg drove to the basket in the final moments of Dallas’ loss to the Houston Rockets and did not receive a whistle. He remained on the ground looking toward the official, but no call was made.
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After the game, Kidd didn’t hold back.
“I saw a foul. Sean (Wright), Simone (Jelks) and Jason (Goldberg) were horrible tonight,” she said. “It’s unacceptable. It’s a foul and he needs to be on the free throw line. Does he do both? That’s up to the player.”
Later in the postgame press conference, Kidd bristled at a question about the national criticism surrounding his use of the point guard. Before the full question could be asked about whether Flagg would become a good ball handler, Kidd abruptly intervened.
“I don’t give a damn about criticism,” Kidd said. “That’s your opinion. You guys write that shit. I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I’ve played it at a very high level and I know what the fuck I’m doing. But I don’t give a damn what you guys write because you guys have never played the game. I’ve built players, so I know what the fuck I’m doing. Taking criticism, it just makes me better because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes in what I’ve done.”
Kidd has been asked repeatedly throughout the season about playing with Flagg at point guard early in his career, and the line of questioning seemed to dry up. National criticism of Kidd’s decisions has dogged him all season, adding to the tension.Advertisement
Here are two thoughts on Saturday’s 111-107 loss:
Flagg’s Great Game
With less than two minutes left, Flagg converted a layup to cut Houston’s lead to two points. His big night, however, was not enough. Alperen Sengun responded with a floater to help the Rockets get past the Mavericks.
With one loss, the Rockets tied their series with the Mavericks at two games apiece. 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 drove his way to the line on consecutive possessions, resulting in two baskets. On both occasions he ended up on the ground looking for a foul. On the third possession, Flagg outran Houston Rockets guard Josh Okogie and hit a mid-range jumper while drawing a foul.
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Flagg is coming off a teen-high 49-point performance in Dallas’ previous game against the Charlotte Hornets. Houston responded by sending its best wing defenders, a group that has helped the Rockets achieve the sixth-highest defensive rating in the NBA, in Flagg. Still, neither Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr. nor Tari Eason could stop the former Duke forward from reaching their 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.
defense of the mavs
Sengun, who entered the night averaging 21.1 points and 9.1 rebounds, missed a floater that went off the rim and was then called for an overhand foul while trying to secure the offensive rebound. He shook his head as he ran towards the defense.
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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 the Toyota Center.
Gafford turned in one of his best performances of the season, finishing with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He has played despite a sprained ankle suffered in the first 10 minutes of the team’s opening training camp practice.
Brandon Williams hit 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 due to a bruised left knee. It was the second consecutive game in which Williams left injured.
Dallas had trouble containing 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.