Rick Carlisle was disappointed with the way referees officiated the end of his team's 100-94 loss Monday night against the Utah Jazz, saying that the opposition "thugged it up" when his team couldn't find a way to score in the fourth quarter.
Mavericks vs. Jazz: Rick Carlisle says Utah ‘thugged it up’
Rick Carlisle said that officials didn’t respond well to overly aggressive play from the Utah Jazz, saying several fouls went uncalled in the Dallas Mavericks’ 100-94 loss Monday night.
Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
The Mavs entered the fourth quarter leading 80-76, trying to snap an ugly run of play that had seen them lose 11 of 13 entering Monday night’s game. They extended that lead to as much as six during the final period, but Utah’s defense stepped up, holding Dallas to just 16 points in the final period, mainly due to a 13-0 run that lasted a little bit over four minutes. Carlisle felt that his team earned a few trips to the free throw line, but felt the referees kept their whistles silent:
“They went to basically thugging it up and that’s when the game turned, and I thought the officiating went their way,” Carlisle said. “They started to get calls and we weren’t able to get the whistles.
“That was probably a function of their aggressiveness. But at the same time I thought there were a couple of times where a whistle could have blown for us.”
Utah does have a tendency for aggressive play: It commits 22.0 personal fouls per game, more than all but two teams in the league.
The coach also expressed displeasure in Elton Brand’s reaction to a foul call, saying the center should have kept his poise when he was called for a technical foul during the run.
The loss drops Dallas to 13-22. It was 11-10 under a month ago after a win over the Sacramento Kings, but have struggled mightily since.
See More:
