Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd was ejected early in the first quarter of Saturday night’s game in Chicago after a heated argument with referee Scott Foster.
Kidd’s departure came with 5:44 remaining in the opening period of the Mavericks’ 125-107 loss to the Bulls at the United Center.
The sequence that led to the ejection began when Kidd and the Mavs disagreed with a goaltending call on against team forward Max Christie.
The pool report from the league emerged following the game, in which Foster discussed why he had ejected Kidd from the contest.
Foster, who acknowledged that a goaltend was called before the ejection, said “they did” when asked if the Mavericks were attempting to challenge the call.
He added, “The window closes for replay challenge once the thrower-in is given the ball.”
Kidd attempted to challenge the play, but the officials ruled that the Mavericks’ timeout was called too late to begin the challenge process.
The ball had already been inbounded by that point.
They were, however, granted a timeout.
Foster said that Kidd “used profanity toward an official on two separate occasions, and was given a technical for each occasion.”
The ejection likely marked one of the earliest coaching dismissals this season.
Associate head coach Frank Vogel took over coaching duties after Kidd’s departure and navigated the remainder of the game for the Mavs.
The loss dropped Dallas to 14-25 overall and continued a stretch of uneasy hoops for a team dealing with injuries and inconsistency.
In addition to the coaching drama, Dallas was without Anthony Davis, who is sidelined with ligament damage to his left hand.
