Ime Udoka openly criticized the Houston Rockets after their 132-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls, calling out the team's lack of effort and focus from the start.
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka did not hold anything back after Monday night's loss to the Chicago Bulls.
The message was clear. The tone was even clearer.
"Poor start, disrespected the game, not prepared from the get-go," Udoka said in a postgame press conference. "Just non-aggressive... watching them shoot. Weren't prepared to play at all".
He pointed straight at his team's mindset and approach from the opening tip. According to Udoka, the Rockets never matched the energy needed to win.
"It's the NBA. You come out like that, you're going to be inconsistent... stop bullsh-ting."
Only after the damage was done did Houston start to find rhythm, but by then it was too late.
Credit Sam Hodde/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP - Scanpix
The Rockets fell 132-124, wasting big nights from their top players. Alperen Sengun led the way with a dominant 33-point triple-double, adding 13 rebounds and 10 assists while shooting 16 of 19 from the field.
Kevin Durant followed with 40 points, seven rebounds, and five assists on efficient shooting. Despite that production, Houston could not recover from its slow start.
The loss drops the Rockets to 43-28, placing them sixth in the Western Conference. They remain just half a game behind the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets, and 2.5 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers.
Meanwhile, Chicago improved to 29-42 and sits 12th in the Eastern Conference.
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