Udoka’s name is pointing the finger at himself for the shocking OT loss to the Kings
The Houston The Rockets have played well this season and remain competitive in the talented Western Conference. On any given night, a team could beat you regardless of their schedule, and unfortunately, that’s what happened to the Rockets in their last game against the Sacramento Kings.
The Kings entered the game 6-22, but played like a better team than that on this day, especially without some of their best players. The game went into overtime, and the Rockets lost 125-124.
After the game, the head coach Making Udoka shared his thoughts about the loss, and appeared to be dealing with the Kings in the process.
“We didn’t really deserve to win it… I have to do a better job of motivating them in games against weaker opponents,” Udoka said, via The Athletic’s Love Murray.
If the Kings heard that answer, they would definitely take it as a slight. In retrospect, the Rockets have played better than the Kings this season, and they are also near the bottom of the West standings. At the same time, Udoka probably shouldn’t have called them the weaker team on the scoresheet.
The only problem the Rockets have had this season is finishing games. Eight of the nine losses have come in the clutch, which doesn’t bode well for the talent they have on the team. Even though they have 30 games left in the season, they can still be trying to figure it out how to execute late in the flow. Kevin Durant has been able to feel like he needs the ball in postgame situations, and his résumé shows it’s the right play.
Alperen Sengun has taken a step up in his game, and he may want the ball late in the game. Additionally, the Rockets don’t have a true point guard to put them in these kinds of game situations.
2025-12-22 15:19:00
