TITLE: Udoka labels officiating “soft” after Rockets drop 132-124 road game to Bulls
SLUG: udoka-blasts-soft-officiating-after-rockets-fall-to-bulls
CONTENT:
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka blasted the officiating crew following a 132-124 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Monday night, calling several calls “soft” moments after he was ejected for a pair of technical fouls with 9.1 seconds remaining at United Center.
The defeat, which saw Houston trail by 20 after one quarter, knocked the Rockets from fourth to sixth in the Western Conference standings, leaving them a half-game behind the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Udoka’s first technical came early when he disputed a flagrant-1 assessed to guard Amen Thompson following a video review of a first-quarter collision. The second technical was issued in the final seconds after Udoka argued an offensive foul on Kevin Durant as the forward attempted to set a screen. Chicago converted all four ensuing free throws.
“Flagrant’s soft as hell, it’s nothing. And then the techs were soft too,” Udoka said during his postgame news conference. “I don’t want to complain about a soft crew, so it is what it is.”
Udoka also criticized his team’s sluggish start, noting that the Bulls—owners of the NBA’s 25th-ranked offense—piled up 41 points in the opening period. “We didn’t respect the game or the opponent,” he said. “If you come out like that, you’re going to be inconsistent, you’re going to have bad losses. And this is another one of them.”
Houston rallied behind Durant’s 40 points on 15-for-23 shooting and Alperen Şengün’s 33 points on 16-for-19, briefly taking the lead midway through the fourth quarter. Chicago responded in the final 90 seconds as starters Josh Giddey, Matas Buzelis and Jalen Smith each buried a three-pointer to seal the outcome.
The loss marked Houston’s 12th against teams below .500 this season, tying the Rockets with the league’s highest total of such defeats among clubs with winning records, according to ESPN Research.
Source: ESPN
