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Although there were no real NBA Cup stakes on the line in Tuesday's game between the Houston Rockets (15-7) and Sacramento Kings (10-12), emotions still ran high by the end of the contest. Head coach Ime Udoka got ejected late in the 120-111 loss after arguing a no-call and later spewed fire at the officials.
Rockets star forward Alperen Sengun caught a shove while trying to attack the basket in the fourth quarter, but no whistle was blown. An irate Udoka came to his player's defense, unleashing his fury on the referee. Sengun would join him in being tossed from the game, finishing his night with 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists.
Evidently, Udoka still needed some time to cool off when addressing reporters, as he made his thoughts about the officiating crystal clear.
“Blatant missed calls right in front of you,” he said, per Sam Amick of The Athletic, when recalling what he told the ref before his ejection. “They’re calling ticky-tack moving screens, and bulls*** like that, and then you don’t want to call the obvious ones right in front of you, so that was it. Alpie got fouled a few times on that drive, and on the layup, and they don’t want to call it. I told him ‘Get some f****** glasses. Open your eyes.'”
“Take your sensitivity and emotions out of it and call the game the right way,” a fiery Udoka continued. “It’s obvious right in front of you, and John Goble — or whoever it was — sees it, doesn’t call it, and I let him know about it.”
Rockets leave the Golden 1 Center seeing red
A coach unloading his frustrations about how a game was officiated is something fans still see from time to time, but there was another Rockets' related incident that reached shocking levels of volatility. Forward Tari Eason, who recorded 16 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes of action, had a tense interaction with a fan that almost got extremely ugly. While walking into the tunnel, he attempted to go into the stands and confront a heckler, per Amick. Fortunately, the 23-year-old was restrained from entering the area.
It remains to be seen if the NBA has anything to say about Eason's actions, but Ime Udoka could be fined for blasting the officials. Regardless of any controversy in the contest, the Rockets had opportunities to snatch a road win from the struggling Kings. Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox combined for 49 points, while Malik Monk posted a difference-making double-double (17 points, 12 assists).
Udoka's energy is a big reason why Houston is one of the darlings of the league through the first quarter of the season. Hopefully, he can take his exasperation and harness it to further motivate his team for Thursday's matchup versus the slumping Golden State Warriors (12-8).
