Rockets coach Ime Udoka offers take on Amen Thompson-Tyler Herro altercation
12/30/2024 06:04 AM
The Houston Rockets lost to the Miami Heat on Sunday and the biggest highlight of the night didn’t involve a basketball. With around 35 seconds remaining in the fourth, the Rockets were down by five. Miami was about to begin an inbound play, but Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro were suddenly tangled up face to face, with each grasping the other’s jersey. After an exchange of words, Thompson threw Herro to the ground and all hell broke loose.
Players and coaches alike stormed the court, causing a large fracas. As the dust settled, a total of six people were ejected: Herro, Thompson, Rockets guard Jalen Green, Heat guard Terry Rozier, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, and Rockets assistant Ben Sullivan.
After the game, Udoka himself was asked about the altercation, and he had some rather interesting comments.
“I didn’t see a lot, but I rewatched it,” the head coach said. “They were in each other’s faces, bumping chests a little bit. One guy is stronger than the other.”
"They were in each other's faces, bumping chests a little bit. One guy is stronger than the other."
Ime Udoka on the altercation between Amen Thompson and Tyler Herro during the Rockets-Heat game
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 30, 2024
The Rockets collapse on a chippy Sunday night
The visiting Heat eventually took home a 104-100 victory in Toyota Center, led by Herro’s 31 points. As for the home team, the ghosts of their previous game were present once more. Houston led by 12 points in the third quarter, but Miami went on a run to cut the difference down to a point entering the fourth. The Rockets had another chance to break away in the final period, as a scoring barrage from Fred VanVleet put them up seven points with over eight minutes left.
However, Houston’s offense suddenly went cold, while the Miami players continuously found the bottom of the net. A fadeaway from Herro gave the Heat a one-point lead with under two minutes remaining. Nikola Jovic followed that up with a three-pointer to extend the cushion…and then the Rockets completely collapsed.
VanVleet was ejected after disagreeing with a 5-second violation call, granting the Heat a technical free throw. Then the brawl happened, giving Miami two more technical free throws. As time winded down, more charity stripe conversions for the Heat eventually sealed the deal.
Two nights before Sunday’s game, the Rockets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves after being up by as much as 16 points in the fourth. The search for answers to their late-game woes won’t get any easier, with visitors such as the Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers flying to H-Town in the coming days.
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