Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka will likely be expecting a hefty fine in his mailbox soon.
Udoka did not hold back on his frustrations Monday after his Rockets lost to the Denver Nuggets in a 128-125 overtime affair at Ball Arena in Denver, Colo. The Rockets coach lambasted the officiating in the contest, directly attacking the referees who made the said calls.
“The most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time,” Udoka said during his postgame press conference. “Two have no business being out there, and the crew chief was acting star-struck. You’re seeing all kind of inconsistent calls, and I’m sure we should’ve gotten more [technical fouls].”
23-year veteran Zach Zarba served as the crew chief, while Jamahl Ralls and Natalie Sago rounded out the three-man officiating crew.
The Rockets were on the wrong end of a few controversial calls down the stretch of Monday’s primetime affair. Houston swingman Amen Thompson got called for a costly foul before a Denver inbound as the Rockets led by 1 with 2.3 seconds left. Jamal Murray converted the game-tying free throw that eventually sent the game to overtime.
This was the “foul” on Amen Thompson that led to overtime, where Houston lost to Denver
— SleeperRockets (@SleeperRockets) December 16, 2025
The Rockets didn’t play well in overtime, but they should have won in regulation…pic.twitter.com/kCUkGM9GlF
Thompson was again penalized for a foul in overtime on what looked like a clean strip of Murray near the halfcourt line. Udoka could only watch in disbelief.
I’m simply tired of sports. One of the worst calls of all time. Nuggets and Rockets. Thompson clearly strips Murray and gets whistled. I’m just done with sports man. pic.twitter.com/B0RlbbfHFL
— Cokeville (@CokeVille313) December 16, 2025
Alperen Sengun had a monster outing for the Rockets, finishing with 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in what was his best Nikola Jokic impression. But Sengun badly missed a potential game-tying three-pointer in the final seconds of overtime.
