The Grizzlies handed the Houston Rockets their worst defeat of the year, which may prompt an irate Ime Udoka to make big adjustments to the team.
It’s possible that coach Ime Udoka broke on Wednesday night. The Houston Rockets fell to the Memphis Grizzlies 121-113, maybe their worst loss of the year.
The Rockets dropped to 5-21 on the road, while the Grizzlies ended a nine-game losing streak with a victory. Houston had not won consecutive games since early January, but they did that on Monday night after defeating the New York Knicks.
Coach Ime Udoka stated, “It has been that way for a while now, maybe underestimating the competition.” “We came out like the softest team in the league.” With a 24–30 record, the Rockets are six games below.500 going into the All-Star break. They trail the Utah Jazz and Golden State Warriors for the tenth and last position in the Play-In Tournament. They are now ranked 12th in the Western Conference. On the road, they are 5-21 as well.
With 28 games remaining in the season, Udoka promised to find a solution for Houston’s problems, and the outcome might bring about some big changes.
According to Udoka, “it’s definitely a concerning problem.” To avoid bad starts like that, perhaps I should review my starting lineup and rotation and aim to get five competitors out there at once. I’ll review everything throughout the break. Determine the best course of action to get us off to a better start by looking in the mirror at myself.”
Maybe it was Nate Hinton’s contributions that made Udoka want to switch up his starting lineup.
The Rockets found it difficult to get going against Memphis. By 10:14 of the second quarter, a 15-point deficit had grown to 23 points. Hinton checked into the game for Jalen Green a couple possessions later.
Hinton entered the game with Houston behind 46–23. During that stretch, he scored seven of his season-high ten points off the bench. His enthusiasm on both ends sparked a first-half surge that ended with a score of 26-8. Hinton’s play caused Houston to trail 58-49 at the break.
Halfway through the third quarter, Udoka benched Green in favour of Hinton once more. In the second half, he played almost nine of his season-high fifteen minutes. Looking back on a humiliating night in Memphis, Udoka’s only positives going into the All-Star break were his effort and energy.
In the defeat, the former guard for the University of Houston also contributed two assists, four rebounds, a steal, and a block.
“It was good to see somebody come in and bring some juice,” Udoka stated. “Especially when the others put us in a deficit due to energy level and competitiveness.”
It is unlikely that Udoka will think about starting Hinton in place of Green in the starting lineup. But in the last quarter of the season, the Rockets might benefit from a changed rotation.
At 5:46 in the third quarter, Udoka benched Green and gave the defence and effort as justifications. Apart from Green, Alperen Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr. also sat for a long time when playing the Grizzlies.Udoka withheld the changes he would be making to the team, whether it be to his coaching philosophy or the rotation. Udoka did, however, provide a general idea of what he hopes to see when the Rockets play the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Centre on February 22.
“The effort part has nothing to do with Fred [VanVleet],” Udoka stated. “You must enter the game with your own enthusiasm and spirit of competition. Fred may be out there to reassure us, but it won’t matter if you don’t come out and compete on both ends of the floor.
“Action. rivalry. The mindset we are discussing is not exclusive to any one player. You have to face it and look in the mirror.”
