The Brooklyn Nets picked up one of their best wins of the season on Saturday, 110-98, over the Houston Rockets. Throughout the game, Ime Udoka had the demeanor of a coach who felt his team should run the Nets out of the gym, not the other way around. Udoka was animated during several timeouts during the loss, after which he ripped Houston's effort and referred to Brooklyn as a “low-level team.”

Ahead of Tuesday's rematch at Barclays Center, Jordi Fernandez showed the Nets what Udoka had to say about them.

“When we walked in [to Monday's practice], Jordi showed us what Ime said the other night. They look at us like we're not competition,” Day'Ron Sharpe said.

The Rockets held the Western Conference's second-best record entering Saturday's matchup.

Nets using Ime Udoka's comments as motivation ahead of Rockets rematch

Brooklyn Nets guard D'Angelo Russell (1) drives to the basket against Houston Rockets forward Jeff Green (32) during the third quarter at Toyota Center.
Erik Williams-Imagn Images

However, the tanking Nets outhustled them from the opening tip. With Alperen Sengun sidelined and Fred VanVleet exiting with an ankle injury, Brooklyn held Houston's 10th-ranked offense to 38-of-95 shooting (40.0 percent).

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After losing to the New York Knicks on Monday, their third straight defeat, Udoka's squad should be highly motivated when they head to Brooklyn.

“We got to come in with the same mindset, the same aggression, the same bully mentality. We can't get bullied, we got to bully them,” Sharpe said.

After Wednesday's blowout win over the Charlotte Hornets, the Houston victory marked Brooklyn's first winning streak since November. Before the pair of wins, the Nets had lost 15 of their last 17 games, with several key players missing extended stretches.

Cam Johnson and Ben Simmons will remain sidelined for Tuesday's Rockets rematch. Johnson has been out for six games due to an ankle injury, while Simmons will sit due to lower back injury management on the front end of a back-to-back.

VanVleet is considered week-to-week for the Rockets due to an ankle injury and will likely miss Tuesday's game. Sengun also missed Monday's Knicks loss due to a calf ailment. His status vs. the Nets is to be determined.