Name Udoka furious over Nuggets-Rockets arbitration

Ce Denver – Houston was physical. The numbers speak for it: a total of 59 attempts and two exits for six fouls, Nikola Jokić and Jonas Valančunas. But the real turning point comes two seconds before the buzzer.

Just before that, Alperen Sengun scored a basket that gave Houston a point ahead. Denver, however, has the last possession to play. At the time of insertion, Tim Hardaway Jr. trips after very light contact with Amen Thompson, and the referees call a foul on a Rockets player.

The name Udoka competes, unsuccessfully. Jamal Murray makes the free throw after the whistle, sending the game into overtime and the Nuggets eventually winning (128-125).

“Overall, I think it was the worst officiating game I’ve seen in a while”openly drops Udok’s name at a press conference. “(Referees Natalie Sago and Jamal Rawls) had no business here, and the ref (Zach Zarba) seemed impressed. We had all kinds of inconsistent decisions, and I’m sure we could have seen more technical fouls. We’re not going to settle for poor officiating. We’re going to do what we have to do and hope the ref makes the right decision.

This was the “foul” by Amen Thompson that led to overtime, where Houston lost to Denver

The Rockets didn’t play well in overtime, but they should have won in regulation…pic.twitter.com/kCUkGM9GlF

— SleeperRockets (@SleeperRockets) December 16, 2025

More nuanced players

I Alperen Sengun achieved the first triple-double of the season with 33 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, it was not enough. After the meeting, Houston’s interior highlighted the difficulty of defending against Nikola Jokic. Turchin believes the Nuggets star is getting a lot of boos in his favor.

“Of course not”Alperen Sengun answers with a smile on his face when asked if he benefits from the same whistles as Nikola Jokić. “He’s a three-time MVP. I’m sure he didn’t have all those boos when he was my age. He worked hard to get there, and I’ll get there sooner or later. He makes all the hard shots, but at the same time, you can’t really hit him.”

Kevin Durant, for his part, doesn’t want arbitration to be the central explanation for the loss despite his 25 points: “It’s unfortunate, but judges can’t always make the right decision.”

The same tone from Jamal Murray, who believes the whistles were missed on both sides. “It’s a physical sport”reminds the leader of the Nuggets. “It’s complicated for the refs to be perfect on both ends. They also missed some whistles for us, so that wasn’t a problem tonight.”

Regardless, Houston concedes its third straight road loss and leaves Denver alone in second place in the West, even if the gap remains minimal. Just two wins separate the Nuggets (19-6), in second, from the Rockets (16-7), in fifth – before they meet again on Saturday for another showdown.