Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka lost a game Monday, and it’s going to cost him a fair amount of money.
Udoka was fined $25,000 by the NBA after he went off on the officials following an overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, calling the contest the “most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time.”
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The league announced Udoka’s fine Wednesday.
That wasn’t all Udoka had to say after the game. While he didn’t name the members of the officiating crew, he took aim at each person on the team, adding, “Two have no business being out there and the crew chief was acting star struck.”
“We were seeing all kinds of inconsistent calls, and I’m sure we should have got a few more techs,” Udoka said.
And then on Tuesday, the NBA actually backed Udoka up. The league said that there were three incorrect calls in the last two minutes of overtime, all that favored the Nuggets. Fouls on Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson shouldn’t have been called, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report said, and a foul against Nuggets guard Tim Hardaway Jr. should have been called.
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That, however, didn’t stop the fine from coming his way.
It was a chippy game, as officials issued a number of technical fouls during the 128-125 Rockets loss. Udoka was the recipient of one of those techs after arguing for a foul call in the second quarter.
Udoka also took issue with a tripping call that allowed Denver to tie the game up with just seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Udoka challenged the call, which was upheld. The play allowed Jamal Murray to hit a game-tying free throw, sending the contest into overtime.
While foul distribution was even between both teams — with the Nuggets actually having more fouls called against them — Udoka was not happy with the way officials treated Nikola Jokić and Murray, both of whom turned in big performances against the Rockets. Jokić led the Nuggets with 39 points. Murray wasn’t far behind, adding 35.
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A big chunk of Murray’s points came via free throws. Murray hit on 14-of-15 attempts, which Udoka called out after the contest. The Nuggets had 33 total free-throw attempts in the close win. Houston had 26 free throws. While that’s not a huge disparity, the figure stands out more in a tight game that went to overtime.
The loss drops the Rockets to 16-7 on the season. After a breakout season last year, Houston is out to another strong start. The team’s decision to trade for superstar Kevin Durant has paid off, as he leads the team with 24.8 points per game.
The Rockets will be fine following the loss, though Udoka’s wallet will be lighter. The NBA typically takes action when coaches criticize officials, and Udoka took his comments further than most. Because of that, it’s no surprise the league acted quickly, issuing a fine before the Rockets’ next game.