Ime Udoka feels Houston Rockets “stole one” to get win in Detroit

Ime Udoka feels Houston Rockets “stole one” to get win in Detroit

Will take it but you know feels feels like we stole one but um similar to Chicago the other night we played well enough in the fourth to get back in it and guarded well enough to take the lead there but um you know surprised he took

That down too he was he’s a downhill attack Guy and um even with that Duran had a tip that he kind of bobbled so we got a little bit lucky there what about jabari’s defense what’ you say defensively from him especially in that fourth quarter yeah he was great he was

On multiple guys and um put him on Thompson and we put him on Stewart and some of those guys really made plays and used his length to to help off the guys and then got to get in there and finish with some rebounds they had some tough

Bounces that went long but um yeah he was great he showed his versatility tonight why has it been a struggle defensively in the first three quarters the last couple games it just seems like we’re following teams around uh too much to start they’re getting too comfortable um you

Know for instance Burks tonight he he’s a guy that’s obviously going to take on the scoring load with buck donovich and some guys out and um his first two um shots that he made may we catch and shoot threes we know he’s a guy that is

A rhythm guy we want to make him put it down and be uncomfortable and so things like that get teams going get guys confidence and um it just feels like we’re being a little bit too reactive to start instead of you know the hungry defensive team that we were early in the

Season and kind of putting teams back on their heels it’s a bad Trend that we obviously need to change is it too simplistic to say you haven’t had Dylan otari the last couple of games is that an excuse for why the defense has falling off a little bit I mean are two

Of our better guys that have tremendous versatility and um defensive acuum in and so um you’re going to obviously Miss some there with those guys out but guys have stepped up all throughout the season and um you know we’ve even when we haven’t played well enough we’ve been

In games and had chances to win so um if you show you can guarden that for it in the fourth quarters like we did against Chicago and tonight you just got to bring that from the start and so no real excuse there um I think we have enough

Depth and and Talent on that side of the ball to be better than we have been what have you like learned about this team when it comes to performing in really clutch games we’re up and down a little bit but we it feels like we put oursel

In that position a lot um for good or bad you know by not playing up to our level um first three quarters but then fourth quarter we can kind of buckle down when we need to and so you know the thing I’ve said about our team is very

Competitive and the effort is always there and so we’re in a lot of close games even when we are at a deficit we can always kind of CLA our way back into it and so we’ve seen that throughout the season and um you know I guess a testament that we’re not getting blown

Out or anything you know we had our fair share of blowout winds but we can grind out winds and figure out different ways to get it done what happened with Jeff he got knee knee to knee so um he was good to come back in then when he sat

For a little bit it swoll up and he was unavailable after that does tomorrow feel like a different type of game for you no really i’ quite be honest um you know I look at one at a time and was not thinking ahead of Detroit at all tonight

And um for me it’s you know you go back to some where he had some success but overall I’d say I’m not too sentimental of a person and won’t get caught up in anything like that are you worried at all about fatigue just having to play an

Overtime game and then having to you know fight really hard in all the other games this road trip going into yeah I mean you we we ran guys longer in that you know second half especially Fred he didn’t come out at all and so obviously on a night where you expend all that

Energy and you got a back toback coming up um you know it’s part of it and but at that point you have to rely on other guys and you know hopefully get guys back to help out there um but yeah it’s it’s a part of it but everybody goes

Through in the NBA and Boston just had an overtime game and didn’t bounce back well against uh Milwaukee last night so it is what it is everybody has to face it and um that’s why you have depth and guys that you trust what do you think of

Reggie’s minutes I think he was great I think he was solid and he not always going to show on the stat sheet I think you only three points the one three-pointer there one for three but um he was very solid when we needed it felt

Like we were a little bit out of sorts early in in the first late in the first quarter and early in the second you had a bunch of young guys out there that um you know were kind of making a few mistakes and wanted to be more solid

With some veterans and I think he stabilized us thanks Co thank you thank you

Houston Rockets Fan Information Source

Ime Udoka talks to the media after the Houston Rockets beat the Detroit Pistons 112-110 on 1/12/2024. Alperen Sengun (29 points), Jalen Green (28 points), Fred VanVleet (20 points, 12 assists) and Jabari Smith Jr. (19 points, 11 rebounds) led the way for the Rockets. Udoka also talked about Reggie Bullock and his contributions in the game.