Ime Udoka after Jalen Green’s 34-point explosion in stunning win over Suns

Ime Udoka after Jalen Green’s 34-point explosion in stunning win over Suns

Goe coach can you just talk about the resiliency of your team to be able to fight through some of the things they had to go through tonight and you know get this victory yeah it was good to see that fight the physicality I think we had that from the start it was obviously

Night and day from last game when we got off to a poor start today we kind of jumped out on them and they had to struggle to come back but every hit that they that they threw we kind of took it and and made big plays when we had to I

Got stops when we had to but loved our physicality aggressiveness and throwing bodies around and you know they’re reflected in all the stats tonight Fred was saying last game he felt the process of running the offense and executing has gotten better from in the second Oklahoma City game last game and then

Maybe today is that what we saw from the beginning and then handling the Zone eventually yeah I think um ever since Allstar after Allstar break we know we’ve had quarters or halves of good basketball you saw that in the first quarter Oklahoma first half Oklahoma

City and um New Orleans as well and just putting won full game together and so today I felt like we did that other than the start of the second you know we’ been scored for a while you know six points for a while but finished it well

Um in that quarter only was 16 but at least we scored you know second half of the quarter I think um it’s a Fred’s Point guys are you know finding a ways to attack it um you know we got a little stagnant at first and then found Ali in

The middle and kind of got some wide open looks and um with all as always with the zone you knock down shots they pretty much get out of it you miss some and they stay in it and so we were missing some wide open threes allowed

Them to stay in it but um our biggest thing is getting stops and running so you can avoid the zone and I think we did a good job of that 13 steals 28 fast break points and attacking in transition what have you seen from jayen in terms of just processing different coverages

In real time and being able to attack those offici yeah he’s he’s recognizing them better um understanding you know where the big is at in the action what his defender on ball is doing and then U making quicker decisions in general you know being aggressive shooting it not

Passing up shots when they go underneath and then when they go over getting down downhill attacking and made some really nice reads tonight found guys wide open and so it’s always good to have those you know secondary handlers as well Fred is doing it alpi in the pocket where you

Can break down the defense with multiple guys and get guys wide open looks and he play great lately you mention getting off to much quicker starts what did you think of you guys’ start tonight it was great it was uh aggressive to start I think U you know 38 points in that first

Quarter and then 19 for them as opposed the 33 last game and so um I think we understood what Booker did last game with the 20-point quarter and um came out prepared for that and so it was a matter of getting stops getting out and running and transition and um

Kind of put them on their heels early and did all the things we wanted to do got some wide open looks um attack the glass and like I said and put pass the ball great so um I think the first quarter we had 10 assists on 13 baskets

So the ball was popping how does that how does Jay’s aggress aggressiveness open up the floor for the rest of the players yeah it’s like I said another guy that can you know Fred does it in his own way but Jaylen really getting downhill and attacking the paint um you

Really have to collapse on him once again gets by his man he got such a quick First Step that you got to attack you know protect the basket and he’s finding guys um or Al he’s cleaning himself off the glass or he scoring and so um you know we want to be as

Multi-dimensional as we can with multiple guys being able to impact the offense and I think when he’s at his best he just gives us obviously another huge weapon so that was great tonight and great last game as well and it was good to see a lot of other guys step up

Tonight as well and play better as much as every win is valuable now what can a breakthrough on the Road against that kind of team do for this for your team yeah I think we I mentioned we haven’t really talked about it much um you know

The road record I think you know you look at San Antonio Chicago Cleveland overtime loss on the road where we had the final shot more so and a lot of close losses on the road and so we haven’t dwell on uh the record in general it’s more about the process of

Playing well regardless home or the road uh the numbers show that we haven’t shot it as well obviously and um I don’t I love that our group doesn’t talk about it at all just goes about their business and we try to you know play to a certain

Standard regardless home or the road and so it hasn’t really affected guys excuse me we don’t talk about it and um you know it’s good to get one tonight but doesn’t feel any different to us honestly than thank you thank you anything else you have another question do okay go ahead sure

Yes can you yes can get on there for the camera yeah sure you know what it is yes I think all right um do you have an update on T yes uh T’s going to have surgery on Monday um he had a you know obviously been going through some things during

The year and had a benign growth on the bone inside the you know tibia I think and um you know took that blow early in the season and flared up he played through it with some pain but um you know never was it at never had a

Chance of fracturing or anything but it was just a pain tolerance thing and so once the pain got you know too high we shut it down and thought rest and um rehab could um you know he could get over it that way but every time we

Ramped up the workouts it you know the pain came right back and so after seeing all the um Specialists and and decision makers uh came to the decision that’s best to have surgery Monday and you know four month uh period and be ready for the start of the season so he’ll have a

Little bone graph to Rod put in there and um you know be ready to go in four months Bine growth you know on on the lower leg bone it’s pre-existing something he’s had for a while but he got hit with a knee um a few times early

In the season that’s what made it flare up and so from there like I said the pain as he continued to play became more and more until you know we had to shut it down and we thought all the doctors himself everybody wants to avoid surgery obviously and so we thought um rest

Could he could get back with rest and uh like I said it came back and so surgery is the best option now four months four month timetable yes thank you thank you

Houston Rockets Fan Information Source

Ime Udoka talks to reporters after the Houston Rockets stunned the Phoenix Suns on 3/2/2024. Jalen Green exploded with an efficient 34 points whil Fred VanVleet added 24 points and 11 assists. Alperen Sengun (21 points), Jabari Smith Jr (14 points) and Dillon Brooks (11 points) also played well. The coach also announced that Tari Eason will undergo season-ending surgery on Monday to remove a benign growth in his lower leg bone.