Ime Udoka Calls Out Officiating After Rockets-Nuggets

This wasn't the only instance the Rockets had a bone to pick about the officiating. Sengun and head coach Ime Udoka each picked up technical fouls earlier in the game for what they believe was a missed foul call.

Before Thompson's foul on Hardaway, referee Natalie Sago called a separate foul on the 6-foot-7 wing for making contact with Jamal Murray. The replay had fans and even color commentator Vince Carter questioning the call.

Naturally, Udoka was irate after the loss, calling out the officials in the postgame press conference. Sago and Jamahl Ralls were the two referees under Zach Zarba, the crew cheif.

Udoka didn't mince his criticism, directly stating how poor the calls were. A win would have pushed the Rockets to 17-6, jumping the Nuggets in the Western Conference standings to the No. 2 seed.

"Just in general, most poorly officiated game I've seen in a long time," Udoka said. "Two have no business being out there and the crew chief was acting star-struck. You're seeing all kinds of inconsistent calls, and I'm sure we should have gotten a few more techs."

The head coach was also asked what the team's response is in these situations, when calls may not be going their way. Udoka continued to take a jab at the officiating.

"Keep being who we are," Udoka said. "We're not going to adjust to poor officials. We gotta do what we do, and hopefully they can adjust and call it the right way."

For the amount of controversial calls and the fact that they were on the road, the Rockets played the Nuggets well and once again proved that they can hang with the best. They nearly won the game off of a 33-point triple-double from Sengun, as well as 25 points, seven assists and five blocks from Kevin Durant.

Houston will travel to New Orleans to take on the New Orleans Pelicans, before returning to Denver for a Dec. 20 matchup with the Nuggets. The Rockets will have a chance to prove themselves once again and hopefully grab their first win against Nikola Jokic and company.