Fuming Mavs coach hits out at “terrible” officals after missed Flagg foul
The head coach of the Dallas Mavericks didn’t hold back when asked about the referees’ treatment of his players.
After a thrilling yet disappointing 111-107 loss to the Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd did not hold back when discussing what he felt was a pivotal officiating slip late in the game. His frustration revolved around what he thought was a missed foul call involving Cooper Flagg, something he believed could have changed the outcome of the game.
The Mavericks’ narrow defeat saw Flagg deliver another eye-catching performance, finishing with 34 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. However, the final minutes of regulation were dominated by controversy rather than precocious talent.
With just 25 seconds remaining and Dallas trailing by four, Flagg drove aggressively toward the basket and appeared to be impeded by Houston’s defence. His subsequent layup attempt was unsuccessful as a result, and no foul was called.
Jason Kidd was livid during his postgame presser. He thought Cooper Flagg was fouled on this layup attempt.
— Mike Curtis (@MikeACurtis2) February 1, 2026
“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
“The referees were unacceptable... they were terrible”
Kidd was duly incensed by the decision, publicly slamming the officiating crew, Sean Wright, Simone Jelks and Jason Goldenberg, after the final buzzer.
“I saw a foul,” Kidd said. “[Officials] Sean [Wright], Simone [Jelks] and Jason [Goldenberg] were awful tonight. The referees were unacceptable. It’s a foul, and he needs to be at the free throw line. Now, does he make both? That’s up to the player, but the referees did not do their job. They were terrible.”
Flagg, 33 years younger than his coach, offered a much more mature response, acknowledging the contact but accepting the officials’ discretion. “I definitely felt some contact, but at the end of the day, the refs are the ones making the call, so it is what it is,” he said. “I mean, it’s tough. You just got to play through it. It’s part of the game. It’s not the first time in my life that I haven’t got calls, and it’s probably not going to be the last. So whatever it is, just got to keep playing through it.”
Jason Kidd felt the referees "weren't consistent" in the Dallas Mavericks' road loss against the Houston Rockets. He felt there should have been a review after a missed call on Cooper Flagg's late left-hand layup.
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) February 1, 2026
Kidd: "We’re fine. We’re going to play. We’re not complaining.… pic.twitter.com/mQMPNzckBS
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Again, Kidd was not as calm as his player: “He’s going to continue to keep going until they blow the whistle,” he added, eyes wide and smoke billowing from his ears like a new Pope had been elected inside his lower intestine. “There’s a lot of fouls missed with this young man. Maybe they just don’t know his game yet, but that’s who he is. He’s going to continue to keep driving. He’s not going to get discouraged. Tonight, he backed up what he did the other night -- put his team in a position to win the game or to tie the game.”
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