Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka sent a strong message to his key stars by benching them in their 105-98 loss to conference rivals Golden State Warriors 105-98 on Thursday, Feb. 13, at home.
It was the Rockets’ seventh loss in their last nine games that pulled them down to fourth in the Western Conference standings heading into the NBA All-Star break.
“Could be mentally and physically fried, certain people, certain players,” Udoka told reporters without name-dropping his underperforming stars.
But it was clear through his actions who he was referring to after he pulled out Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks midway through the third quarter and benched them for the entire fourth quarter.
Udoke turned to his reserves — Aaron Holiday, Nate Williams, Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green, and Jock Landale — who nearly authored as magnificent comeback from a 24-point deficit. They came within two, 88-86 with 7:29 left but lost steam as Stephen Curry rallied the Warriors with dagger 3-pointers.
Udoka rued the team’s lack of communication on defense and selfishness on offense by playing to the crowd as the culprit of their recent slide.
The Rockets were coming off a 119-111 win over the Phoenix Suns on the previous night. But the Warriors were also playing on the second night of a back-to-back schedule. They were the hungrier team after a 111-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on the previous night.
Udoka did not accept fatigue to be a factor in their lackluster first half.
“I may be right or wrong about that,” Udoka told reporters. “But everybody’s going through it right now. Lack of competitiveness is not really an excuse.”
Udoka welcomes the All-Star break for his young, weary Rockets team to recharge for the second half of the season.
Jalen Green Stars in Wingstop NBA All-Star Commercial
Green’s 25-game streak of double-digit scoring came to an end with his fourth-quarter benching in the Rockets’ latest loss. He was held to nine points on 3-of-10 shooting — an aberration to a great season he’s having.
The former No. 2 pick is averaging 21.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists while shooting a career-best 35.0% from the 3-point line.
While he was not named to the NBA All-Star Game, Green is still set to appear in the midseason classic with Wingstop’s new TV commercial called “Bold Flavor.”
“This is the first collaboration between Jalen Green and Wingstop, who has proudly cheered Jalen on as he brings his own unique flavor both on and off the court,” a company spokesperson told Heavy via email. “Jalen’s full energy and full commitment approach to life allows him to be bold, be different, and stand out, just like Wingstop’s flavor selection.”
Wingstop is the official wing and chicken partner of the league.
The 15-second spot will air on Friday, Feb. 14 on linear and across streaming channels. Other versions will appear across digital and social channels, including a long-form video on Green’s social media accounts.
Amen Thompson Hyped Up for NBA All-Star Weekend in Hometown
Amen Thompson, the Rockets fourth overall selection in the 2023 draft, is excited to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge and team up with his twin brother Ausar of Detroit Pistons under Team M coached by NBA legend Mitch Richmond.
It’s fun especially doing it in the Bay [area],” Amen told NBA TV’s Taylor Rooks after practice. “It’s exciting.”
The Thompson twins hail from Oakland, California and were teammates growing up until they went separate ways in the NBA.
“Doing it where I’m from, it’s like a full-circle moment,” Ausar told Rook. “This is where dreams started.”
Amen’s teammate and last year’s No. 3 pick Reed Sheppard was also named to the Rising Stars. The rookie guard out of Kentucky will be playing under the G League team coached by former New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin.
Sengun is the lone Rockets player who will participate in the NBA All-Star game on Sunday, Feb. 16.
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