The Houston Rockets' 2023-24 season looked dead in the water when they lost Alperen Sengun to a serious knee injury in early March. But the Rockets had no quit in them; they rattled off 10 straight victories to come to within one game of the Golden State Warriors for the 10th spot in the Western Conference. Houston cooled off significantly in their past two games, losing to the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, but they still had the chance to make the play-in race interesting.

However, the Rockets' play-in bid might officially be dead after they suffered a 133-110 loss to the Warriors, their 13th consecutive defeat to Golden State, a streak that has spanned the past four seasons. Houston is now behind by four games in the standings, and with six games left and the head-to-head tiebreaker belonging to the Dubs, it might be time to write an obituary for their 2023-24 campaign.

Following their defeat, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, without naming names, put some of his players on blast. Udoka thought that some of his players were scared of the moment and that, in the immortal words of Jarrett Allen, the lights were too bright for some.

“It looked like the moment was too big for a lot of players out there. Looked like deer in headlights a little bit. Either looked soft or scared, one or the other,” Udoka said, via Will Kunkel of FOX26Houston. “That's two bad things for a lot of our guys to have. Didn't rise up to the moment like I thought we would.”

Ime Udoka is a coach who prides himself on dishing out tough love, and this instance is no different. The Rockets may have been outclassed by the Warriors on Thursday night in terms of composure and execution, but under Udoka, it's clear how competitive Houston can be with more years of experience under their belt.

Rockets fizzle out when it mattered the most

It's unclear who Ime Udoka is referring to with his words; but one would have to think that his callout is directed towards Jalen Green, among others. Green has been on a tear as of late, looking like a much-improved player; but his performance against the Warriors left so much to be desired.

He put up just 13 points on 4-12 shooting, and his defense wasn't particularly good — a disappointing showing from the Rockets' star in the making. But it's not just the 22-year old guard who struggled immensely.

Even veterans Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, the Rockets' two major free-agent signings this past offseason, went AWOL. VanVleet was rather lackluster offensively, scoring just 10 points on seven shot attempts in a night where more scoring output from him would have gone a long way, while Brooks went just 3-9 for eight points.

It's always hard to win when a team's best players don't show up, hence the disappointment from Ime Udoka towards some of his Rockets players.

Houston, we have take-off (for the 2024-25 season)

The Rockets' 2023-24 season may be nearing the end of its rope, but fans of the team have plenty of reason to be hopeful moving forward. Jalen Green may be primed for a leap in Year 4, Alperen Sengun should be back and re-assume number one option duties in no time, while Amen Thompson and Jabari Smith Jr. are only getting better.

The Western Conference is stacked enough as it is. But the Rockets, after revving up to end the 2023-24 season, might be primed for take-off next season to make the West playoff picture more congested than it already is.