Houston Rockets’ Three-Game Winning Streak Ends with Loss to Sacramento Kings
The Houston Rockets’ three-game winning streak came to an end on Tuesday night after they suffered a 120-111 loss to the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Cup. The postgame conversation appeared to center around the fourth-quarter ejection of second-year Rockets head coach Ime Udoka and forward Alperen Sengun.
Udoka and Sengun were both upset over the way the game was officiated, particularly the string of apparent missed calls on fouls committed against Sengun. Udoka eventually directed his ire at referee John Goble, which led to his ejection. Despite being disqualified from the game, Udoka did not exit the court area quietly, and a Rockets assistant had to step in between him and the referee.
After the game, Udoka explained that he took umbrage with the way the game was officiated, citing missed calls and ticky-tack fouls. He also shared some details on what he said during the exchange with the referee, stating that he told Goble to “get some f—–g glasses and open your eyes” because he didn’t think Sengun was getting called for fouls.
The Rockets entered Wednesday in second place in the Western Conference, having won 10 of the last 12 games before Tuesday’s loss. They will look to bounce back on December 5 when they face the Golden State Warriors.