Mavs' Kidd Criticizes Media, Refs After Loss to Rockets

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd unleashed a profanity-laced rebuke of media critics and game officials following his team's 111-107 loss to the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at Toyota Center, marking the Mavericks' fourth consecutive defeat and dropping their record to 19-30.

The defeat came despite a standout performance from rookie forward Cooper Flagg, the No. 1 overall pick from last June's draft. The 19-year-old former Duke standout scored 34 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out five assists, continuing a hot streak that included a career-high 49 points in Thursday's loss to the Charlotte Hornets. Flagg's 83 combined points over the two games set a league record for a teenager, and he became the first player under 20 to post consecutive 30-point double-doubles, joining LeBron James and Luka Doncic as the only teens to achieve back-to-back 25-point double-doubles.

Kidd's frustration boiled over in the postgame news conference. When a reporter raised the ongoing national criticism of his decision to deploy the 6-foot-9 Flagg as a de facto point guard at times this season, Kidd interrupted sharply. "Criticism? That's your opinion. You guys write that bull," he...