Games between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors tend to get heated, and this is especially true when both teams are playoff contenders like they are right now. On Sunday night, in the middle of the Rockets' 106-96 win over the Warriors, there was a tense moment between head coach Ime Udoka and Golden State's superstar guard Stephen Curry, with the two exchanging some fiery words right at the halftime interval.

Despite the heated nature of their exchange, it doesn't seem as though this confrontation between Udoka and Curry went beyond anything that anyone might consider to be personal. The Rockets head coach shed some light on the exchange after the game and chalked it up to the ever-competitive nature of their games against the Warriors.

“He said something. I said something. Just some friendly banter,” Udoka revealed, per Anthony Slater of The Athletic.

Curry has been a thorn in Udoka's side over the past few years, dating back to the Rockets head coach's days with the Boston Celtics. As one would recall, it was Curry who led the Warriors to a championship in 2022 against Udoka's Celtics, and since then, Udoka has been hard at work trying to figure out how to slow down the two-time MVP.

At the very least, Udoka had the upper hand on Curry on Sunday night; with the Warriors star being in the middle of a torrid stretch, the Rockets' defense had to be on point to stop Curry — and on point they ended up being. They had Amen Thompson face-guarding Curry for most of the night, and they ended up locking down Curry to the tune of just three points on a horrid 1-10 shooting from the field.

The halftime exchange, perhaps, was Curry simply expressing his frustrations, as the Rockets brought his competitive spirit out with the way they defended him on the night.

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3 early Boston Celtics trade targets in 2025 NBA offseason
The Houston Rockets invested heavily into Fred VanVleet during the 2023 offseason. Houston gave the point guard a three-year, $128 million deal in a move that was meant to turn the Rockets from a rebuilding team into a championship contending one. The signing did just that, as the Rockets finished the 2024-25 regular season as the two-seed in a stacked Western Conference. VanVleet was the veteran presence and 3-point shooter that the team desperately needed, and he still might have a role with the Rockets going forward. Houston has a team option on his contract for next year, and they very well may pick it up. The Wichita State product reportedly wants to stay in Houston, but the point guard would be set to make over $44 million next season under his current contract. The Rockets and their guard recently pushed back the deadline on Houston's decision with VanVleet, and although reports suggest that they are interested in writing up a new, long-term deal, it isn't necessarily a guarantee that VanVleet will be playing for Houston next year. The Rockets blew him away with an offer he couldn't refuse back in 2023, and another team could so the same when/if he hits the open market this offseason. If VanVleet does become an unrestricted free agent, which teams outside of Houston would make the most sense for him to sign with? 1. Orlando Magic Jalen Suggs and Franz Wagner recently signed big deals with the Orlando Magic, and Paolo Banchero will be getting a mega contract extension here soon. Because of that, the Magic no longer have money to blow like they have had in recent years. That will make a deal for another big ticket free agent hard to pull off, especially considering the team signed Kentavious Caldwell-Pope last year. If Orlando can make the money work, though, then Fred VanVleet would be a great fit with the Magic. The Magic finished dead last in 3-point shooting this season, and VanVleet has made at least 2.5 deep balls per game in every season since 2018-19. VanVleet can hit shots form behind the arc off of the bounce or in catch-and-shoot situations. The Rockets were heavily reliant on his shooting expertise, so the guard would have plenty of familiarity getting up deep shots with high volume if he signed with the Magic. While undersized, VanVleet is a pesky defender, so he'd fit right in with a Magic team that has one of the best defensive units in the league. VanVleet could play alongside Suggs and give opposing teams fits. Ultimately, though, the Magic just need more shooting to get to the next level, and VanVleet is arguably the best shooter who could be available on the open market this offseason. 2. Brooklyn Nets A more realistic option for a VanVleet destination would be the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets are set up to have the most cap space this offseason, and they have a major need at point guard. With D'Angelo Russell and De'Anthony Melton hitting free agency this offseason, the Nets don't have a true point guard under contract for next season. Brooklyn needs to spend big this offseason, and they'd be smart to offer VanVleet a contract big enough that he'd have no choice but to leave Houston. VanVleet averaged 14.1 points per game last season, which was his lowest mark since 2018-19. He is trending the wrong way, but he still has enough left in the tank to give the Nets a few good seasons. 3. Portland Trail Blazers In the same way that the Rockets were looking to take the next step in 2023, the Portland Trail Blazers could use VanVleet's presence to get over the hump. The Trail Blazers have plenty of big man depth, as centers Deandre Ayton, Donovan Clingan, Robert Williams, and Duop Death are all under contract next season. Portland also has a lot of wing depth. Deni Advija started to look like a star late this past season, Toumani Camara is an elite defender, Shaedon Sharpe is a freakish athlete, and Jerami Grant is a proven scorer. The team is thinner in the backcourt, though. Anfernee Simons is a solid scorer, but Scoot Henderson has looked like a fringe draft bust since being drafted third overall. Portland shouldn't give up on Henderson completely, but there wouldn't be any harm in signing another guard. Like the Magic, the Blazers were one of the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA. VanVleet would improve that weakness, and in a stacked Western Conference, Portland needs all of the help they can get if they are to compete for a playoff spot.
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Rockets' defense makes them a scary team to face in the playoffs

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) dribbles past Houston Rockets forward Amen Thompson (1) in the second quarter at the Chase Center.
Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

The Rockets have hung their hat on defense all season long, and they are proving to be a frightening team to face come playoff time. The scary part is that their defense should translate to the playoffs, and they will be a very tough out considering how little, if any, weak spots they have on that end of the floor.

It takes some kind of effort to hold Stephen Curry down to just three points on 10% shooting, and credit must go to Rockets head coach Ime Udoka for getting his team ready the way he did on Sunday.