Once again, Jason Kidd’s passionate defense of a star player got him thrown out of a game. A night that could have been solely about Cooper Flagg’s brilliance got overshadowed by the head coach’s argument with the referees. Instead of celebrating the 51-point outing against the Orlando Magic, Flagg had a somber mood after the 127-138 loss.

Flagg scripted NBA history by scoring 51 points in a single game, the most ever scored by a teenager in the league. The Magic tried their best to stop him, but Flagg just went on a barrage with those points. At one point in the game, Flagg tried to draw a foul from Orlando, but the referees did not relent. In the review clips, Desmond Bane had a clear grip on the Maverick star’s elbow as he tried to shoot. Instead, Flagg was given a technical.

Jason Kidd stepped in to fight for his star and had a tense few moments with the referee. He even had to be restrained by his assistant head coach, Frank Vogel, and got a technical. To support him, even Naji Marshall came to back up his coach and teammate. But the referee was absolutely not having it, and instead got both of them ejected. Thankfully, it didn’t deter Cooper Flagg much, as he continued with his point shower for Dallas. But he made sure to address Kidd’s reaction after the game.

“I think it was warranted,” Flagg said.” I’m not gonna lie, I talked to Bane after the play. He told me he was intentionally trying to foul me.”

Flagg’s heroic night, however, couldn’t save the day for Dallas, as they lodged yet another loss this season. It’s a pain for both the star rookie and the head coach, who just can’t seem to get anything good coming their way. This 15-game losing streak is now the longest one the Mavericks have had since the 1993-94 season. The head coach also had spoke about the controversial call later.

Jason Kidd showed gratitude for Cooper Flagg and Naji Marshall

The Mavericks were on a 14-game home losing streak going into tonight’s game. The frustration was a driving factor in tonight’s game. Despite having one of the best players in the league, fifth-year HC Jason Kidd is seeing a career-low this season. Regardless of how the officiating going against them, Kidd still stood by his players.

“I’m trying to protect the players,” Kidd said. “I’m trying to protect Cooper on that play. There was clearly a foul that no one saw. Today’s the day that we have to make sure that just doesn’t happen. And today, I’ve already gotten kicked out, so, donated some money. But there was a tough crew to watch. But everybody has an off day, and we’ll learn from that. And hopefully they will.”

After those ejections, Flagg went on a tear. He went on a 24-point fourth-quarter barrage, finishing on a 19-of-30 shooting, surpassing his own previous career high of 49. It got the Mavericks within shooting distance, but not enough to get a much-needed win.

Fans tried to pitch in as well during those heated few moments, chanting “Refs, you suck.” But what’s done is done. Dallas simply has to call it a day and look ahead, even though it gave the NBA a glimpse at the icon Cooper Flagg can become. It was just tough luck for the talented rookie, and his ever-supporting head coach.