Nuggets Coach David Adelman Gets Larger Fine Than Ime Udoka For Complaint He Thought Was Similar to Rockets Counterpart 1 Dec 20, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka yells rom the bench during the second half against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

Houston Rockets Coach Blasts the Team For Failed Comeback in Surprising Loss Vs. Chicago Bulls

Originally posted on Hardwood Heroics | By Jordan Samar | Last updated Mar 24, 2026 7:21 AM ET

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka went off at his own team for their 132-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, pointing to their slow start as the main culprit behind the surprising road defeat.

The Houston Rockets were outscored 41-21 in the opening period, but they tied the game in the fourth quarter. However, Matas Buzelis and Josh Giddey hit some clutch three-pointers to put the game away.

“Poor start, disrespected the game, not prepared from the get-go. Just non-aggressive, following them around, watching them shoot. They had nothing to lose; they’re going to fire away,” Udoka stated. “Obviously, to give up 41 points in that first quarter is disappointing; it was one quarter that killed us, we weren’t prepared to play at all.”

“It’s the NBA. You come out like that, you’re going to be inconsistent, you’re going to have bad losses, this is another one of them. Stop bulls**ting,” he added.

Houston Rockets News: Ime Udoka also lashes out at officials after getting ejected vs. Chicago Bulls

In the same postgame presser, Ime Udoka criticized the officials for giving him two technical fouls with 9.1 seconds remaining against the Chicago Bulls, as the Houston Rockets head coach disagrees with Kevin Durant’s late offensive foul and Amen Thompson’s earlier Flagrant 1 foul.

“Flagrant was soft as hell, it was nothing, and then the techs were soft too. I’m not about to complain about a soft crew. It is what it is,” Udoka said.

This isn’t the first time Udoka has had a run-in with the referees this season. The Houston Rockets coach was fined $25,000 for doing the same thing last December after an overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets.

This article first appeared on Hardwood Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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