Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka lost a game Monday, and it’s going to cost him a fair amount of money Tuesday. Udoka will almost surely be fined by the NBA after he went off on the officials following an overtime loss to the Denver Nuggets, calling the contest the “most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time.”
That wasn’t all Udoka had to say. While he didn’t name the members of the officiating crew, he took aim at each person on the team, adding, “Two have no business being out there and the crew chief was acting star struck.”
Ime Udoka with his thoughts on the #Rockets OT loss to the Nuggets
It’s a must listen.@HoustonRockets play Denver again on Saturday pic.twitter.com/jzY0qff5mV
— Space City Home Network (@SpaceCityHN) December 16, 2025
It was a chippy game, as officials issued a number of technical fouls during the 128-125 Rockets loss. Udoka was the recipient of one of those techs after arguing for a foul call in the second quarter.
Udoka also took issue with a tripping call that allowed Denver to tie the game up with just seconds to go in the fourth quarter. Udoka challenged the call, which was upheld. The play allowed Murray to hit a game-tying free throw, sending the contest into overtime.
While foul distribution was even between both teams — with the Nuggets actually having more fouls called against them — Udoka was not happy with the way officials treated Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, both of who turned in big performances against the Rockets. Jokic led the Nuggets with 39 points. Murray wasn’t far behind, adding 35.
A big chunk of Murray’s points came via free throws. Murray hit on 14 of 15 attempts, which Udoka called out after the contest. The Nuggets had 33 total free-throw attempts in the close win. Houston had 26 free throws. While that’s not a huge disparity, the figure stands out more in a tight game that went to overtime.
The loss drops the Rockets to 16-7 on the season. After a breakout season last year, Houston is out to another strong start. The team’s decision to trade for superstar Kevin Durant has paid off, as he leads the team with 24.8 points per game.
The Rockets will be fine following the loss, though Udoka’s wallet will be much lighter. The NBA typically takes action when coaches criticize officials, and Udoka took his comments further than most. He should expect to receive a hefty fine before the team plays its next game Thursday.
