November 20, 2024 • 9 mins
The Rockets were one clean inbound and wide-open layup away from extending their winning streak to six games; however, Damian Lillard's driving layup with 3.9 seconds left ended up being the decider in the 101-100 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Monday. The Rockets overcame a 14-point, third-quarter deficit to take the lead in the fourth quarter and led until Lillard's closing basket. A strong defensive effort held stars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard to 20 and 18 points, respectively, but this created an opportunity for role players such as Brook Lopez to take over. Lopez had 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. "We were helping a little bit too much at times," Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. Before Milwaukee, the Rockets earned a quality win in Chicago, defeating the Bulls 143-107 on Sunday. Fred VanVleet scored a season-high 28 points, while Alperen Sengun recorded his second triple-double of the season. All five starters reached double figures. "If we can get stops and run, that's when we're at our best," Udoka said. Despite a loss in Milwaukee, the Rockets have found a powerful spark off the bench in Tari Eason. The forward had 14 rebounds, four steals and three blocks against the Bucks. After missing much of last season due to a lower leg injury, Eason has improved through "the progression of playing consistent minutes," and he now "impacts the game in a crazy way," Udoka said. The Rockets return to the Toyota Center on Wednesday to host the Indiana Pacers in a matchup that will feature the debut of the 2024-25 City Edition uniform. The jersey celebrates the Rockets' 1994 and 1995 championships, and many former Rockets will be in attendance to commemorate the victories. "We got to put on a show and get a win for them."
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let's spend ten twenty minutes with our Palmyodoka. He is
your Houston Rockets coach. Rockets coming off that one on
one quick trip to the Midwest, taking on Chicago, Milwaukee,
they got the Indiana Pacers tonight. You may with us
here on the show, coach, Good afternoon. Let me ask
you this. I spend all the time my broadcast hoping
that someday you as coaches can just say, please give
(00:23):
us more reviews, please give us more challenges. And I
know that the NBA doesn't want a three hour game,
but this this video of Yanna stepping ont of bounds
that no one saw.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I mean, I know mistakes happened, coach, but damn that hurts.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, obviously that's a play that you know, would have
changed the game and we would got the ball back
and then we had to foul. But you know, we
don't like to look at one mistake is losing a
game or winning a game. But you know, we looked
at a lot of the other things that we didn't
do well, especially in the first half guarding the three
point line, and that's what really made a difference in
the game.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yeah, I don't think I almost to see Gary Trent
ever shoot the ball again, and Brook Lopez too. I'll
say this and look that the Bucks are having a
disappointing season, but that's still a team that is a
perennial Eastern Conference power. What did your guys learn about
going against that kind of squad and having the type
of game that you had against them.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well, we learned that, you know, we can guard the
lain guys really well and let the others get away
and that can change the game. And so when you
hold Gannis to twenty points on seventeen shots and dam
Miller eighteen points on eighteen shots.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
You're doing your job with the main guys.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
But to your point, Lopez and Trent really made the difference,
specifically in the first half, both going four for five
from three, and you know, they went eleven for twenty
three in the first half of three and then we
held them to two for ten in the second half
and adjusted and defended the way we do all year
from the three point line, but really let them get
get going early, and that's what kind of paved them
(01:51):
to lead in the first half.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
When you say defend the better the three better, is
that not allowing the extra pass is that a hand
in the face is a combination of both.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
They're a very high level one pass and three team.
You know, they draw a lot of attention with Ento
the compo and Lillard and those guys are ready to
load up, and I think we were helping a little
bit too much at times. And then our closeouts and
contests weren't good at all. We were shot close outs
instead of running these guys off the line. We know
they're catching shoot players and basically ten of the thirteen
(02:23):
that they made were due to our mistakes.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
You made Doka with us here on Sports Talk Sadni.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
It was fun in the fact that despite things got
kind of sertling the first half, Fred took off in
the third quarter, Jalen did a lot of work in
the fourth. I feel like this year there we have
seen a lot of that where the hot hand not
only GE's hot, but it's like, give me the ball,
I'll do this by myself.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
If I have to. There's been a lot of that
so far this year.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, at times, and obviously the games where everybody's contributing
and we have great balance, those are the games that
we'd like on a regular basis. But when some guys
are struggling, I think guys take the onus on themselves
to make it happen. And you saw Fred do that
the other night in jail and at times out for
instenda at times, and you know, that's what great players do.
They see others struggling and try to make something happen.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
So they've done that.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
But I'd rather take the Chicago game where everybody's contributing.
We got multiple multiple people in double double figures and
we have a comfortable win.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
That was a great night for the game against the Bulls,
and that's one of those situations that you guarded the three,
they took a bunch, didn't make them, and it led
to a lot of transition baskets, a lot of fast
break points.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And then it feels like to me, you man, you
would know this.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
A men and Tari are do for at least two
mid court steals and putbacks in one game, and that
has been a nice little asset to for you to have.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
A from a defensive perspective.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, I mean we start start the game with some
guys that are obviously high level of defenders. But to
bring those two off the bench and do what they
do be as disruptive as they are as a luxury
for sure, and you know they're going to play on
ball off ball. Took up the ball pressure and like
you said, full court, they get a stealer too, a
game which turns into a highlight. So we defended the
(04:08):
three much better against them than Milwaukee. Got a ton
of stops and got out and ran against a team
that's not a great transition defensive team and so guarded well.
And that's our formula defensive offense, and we get stops
and run.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
That's where we're at our best.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
You've had Alpi have triple doubles. You've had Fred score
a bunch of points in a short period of time.
Jalen's given you those those types of games as well.
Jalen Jabari gave you one last week. But I would
think probably if you pulled him aside, he's probably not
overly happy with this offensive production this year.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
When you guys talk.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
About his development and maybe nights with the balls and dropping.
Is it bad shot selection, is it spacing? Is it
just ball rims out? When you guys break that down,
what do you see from him offensively?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
A little bit of everything is as far as what
you just mentioned. You know, the open shots here, they're
gonna make it when you're not. You saw that at
the end of the Milwaukee game. We had some op
looks that we missed that would have obviously extended the lead,
and they made a few big shots. And so sometimes
it simply comes down to that, and we keep encouraging
him to be aggressive and confident and take the right shots,
which he did and the Clipper game and obviously carried
(05:15):
over to Chicago, and so.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
That's gonna happen or not.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
But there are other ways you can impact the game
and not just rely on jump shots going in or
scoring in general. So be disruptive defensively. You know, he's
been really good at getting on the offensive glass and
then getting out transition and spacing to your point, whether
it's a three point or drive for basket. Transition is
a big thing for him as well as the rest
of our guys.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
And so that's the main message.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Continue to be aggressive and confident, but find a way
to impact it when the shots not falling.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Let's get to tar for a little bit. I mean,
just a glue guy. We were just talking about this
before you to join us. Every NBA team wants a
guy like that doesn't necessarily look at the scorecard ands
as I need as many shots, but I want to
be there when necessary, and the defensive intents in the
offensive rebound. And you and I have talked about this
a lot about the time away frustrating to no end,
(06:04):
but even going back to his first year, which was
a very nice rookie campaign, to where he is right now,
where has the jump and his development come from?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I think just as all around comfort offensively offensively, you know,
he does the things that he does naturally which you
mentioned defensively and in offensive rebound, he has a knack
for those things that you can't really teach. But offensively,
the shot has become much better, much smoother. I think,
you know, him getting out of transition and handling and
starting to create for himself and others is a big
(06:34):
area of growth for him as well. So I think
it's just all around the progression of playing consistent minutes.
You know that was halted last year at a time
with the injuries. But he's a guy that's going to
continue to take leaps every time he plays and obviously
impacts the game in a crazy way.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
So him being healthy is the biggest part.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But you see the jump shot and I think his
recognition offensively of running for running, getting into spacing, being
a screener.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
A little bit more. All those things have really grown
as well. Tonight.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
You got the Pacers coach. Uh, I'm just looking at
their roster. They're beat up a little bit, aren't they.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, they've had some tweaks here and there. Guys have
been in the lineup, but you know, we anticipate a
lot of those guys getting back tonight. And when they're back,
they're a really good team obviously, and you know headless
Snake is Halliburton, but Siakam and Turner and Matherns playing
extremely well for them.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
So they got a lot of guys.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
McConnell off the bench, topping off the bench, and a
lot of guys that can contribute. They still want to
play at the fast face that they did last year,
and you know they got to went deep in the
playoffs last year with that style. And so although they're
struggle a little bit now with guys in our lineup,
we know when they're a full strength they're a formidable opponent.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, their pacing was up significantly over the year before
when you say that for the audience, that's just kind
of just catching a little bit of basketball here and there.
What does Indiana do beyond the obvious of just pushing
that makes them such a high paced basketball team.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well, a lot of people only push off of makes
and turn our missus into runovers. They played with an
extremely fast faced off of make, so they like to
inbound click and I think Halliburn's one of the best
at their kick ahead passes. He takes one dribble and
he finds guys streaking up or turner down the.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Middle, and so he's kind of engined behind that.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And in the half court, they really played with a
ton of pace, and so it's not just full court transition,
it's them in the half court they slip most of
the majority of their screens. They're slipping out to cause
confusion so a guy can get ahead of steam or
they can find a shooter slipping out. So they play
really fast in the half court as well, and so
that makes them as equally as dangerous, not just transition wise.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Lastly, we're celebrating the thirty year anniversary of the Rockets
championship tonight.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Were were you Were you a.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Big connoissewer of mid nineties rockets or NBA in general,
or did you just kind of just pick and choose
your games.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
I was when Clyente came over.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Oh wait a minute, that's a year after. What are
you talking about?
Speaker 3 (08:52):
You?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
That's not nice?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Mid nineties?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
You know, I was watching Portland, obviously watching client directs
in Portland, and then I always watched them do to
you know, my Nigerian background with a keem being here,
and so watched them quite a bit. When Clyde came over,
watched them a ton and yeah, the jerseys are sweep,
you remember those old, older ones with the gold trim
on them. And so it'd be a good good thing
to have back tonight. And I heard we got a
(09:17):
bunch of other guys that wore those jerseys in attend
this tonight.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
So got to put on a show and get a
win from them.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
I know, I got Robert or coming on the show
and in the next segment, So I'm gonna I'm gonna say,
get some rest, I'll see you at the arena tonight
and good luck against the Pacers.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Tell him hello, that's my old teammate from Antonio.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
So I'm gonna make sure and say you wanted to
interview with me. You can hang out if you want to.
I got other things fair enough, all right, We'll see
you tonight. Thanks coach, appreciate it.
Let's spend ten twenty minutes with our Palmyodoka. He is
your Houston Rockets coach. Rockets coming off that one on
one quick trip to the Midwest, taking on Chicago, Milwaukee,
they got the Indiana Pacers tonight. You may with us
here on the show, coach, Good afternoon. Let me ask
you this. I spend all the time my broadcast hoping
that someday you as coaches can just say, please give
(00:23):
us more reviews, please give us more challenges. And I
know that the NBA doesn't want a three hour game,
but this this video of Yanna stepping ont of bounds
that no one saw.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
I mean, I know mistakes happened, coach, but damn that hurts.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, obviously that's a play that you know, would have
changed the game and we would got the ball back
and then we had to foul. But you know, we
don't like to look at one mistake is losing a
game or winning a game. But you know, we looked
at a lot of the other things that we didn't
do well, especially in the first half guarding the three
point line, and that's what really made a difference in
the game.
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Yeah, I don't think I almost to see Gary Trent
ever shoot the ball again, and Brook Lopez too. I'll
say this and look that the Bucks are having a
disappointing season, but that's still a team that is a
perennial Eastern Conference power. What did your guys learn about
going against that kind of squad and having the type
of game that you had against them.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Well, we learned that, you know, we can guard the
lain guys really well and let the others get away
and that can change the game. And so when you
hold Gannis to twenty points on seventeen shots and dam
Miller eighteen points on eighteen shots.
Speaker 4 (01:29):
You're doing your job with the main guys.
Speaker 3 (01:31):
But to your point, Lopez and Trent really made the difference,
specifically in the first half, both going four for five
from three, and you know, they went eleven for twenty
three in the first half of three and then we
held them to two for ten in the second half
and adjusted and defended the way we do all year
from the three point line, but really let them get
get going early, and that's what kind of paved them
(01:51):
to lead in the first half.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
When you say defend the better the three better, is
that not allowing the extra pass is that a hand
in the face is a combination of both.
Speaker 4 (02:02):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
They're a very high level one pass and three team.
You know, they draw a lot of attention with Ento
the compo and Lillard and those guys are ready to
load up, and I think we were helping a little
bit too much at times. And then our closeouts and
contests weren't good at all. We were shot close outs
instead of running these guys off the line. We know
they're catching shoot players and basically ten of the thirteen
(02:23):
that they made were due to our mistakes.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
You made Doka with us here on Sports Talk Sadni.
Speaker 1 (02:28):
It was fun in the fact that despite things got
kind of sertling the first half, Fred took off in
the third quarter, Jalen did a lot of work in
the fourth. I feel like this year there we have
seen a lot of that where the hot hand not
only GE's hot, but it's like, give me the ball,
I'll do this by myself.
Speaker 2 (02:44):
If I have to. There's been a lot of that
so far this year.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Yeah, at times, and obviously the games where everybody's contributing
and we have great balance, those are the games that
we'd like on a regular basis. But when some guys
are struggling, I think guys take the onus on themselves
to make it happen. And you saw Fred do that
the other night in jail and at times out for
instenda at times, and you know, that's what great players do.
They see others struggling and try to make something happen.
Speaker 4 (03:09):
So they've done that.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
But I'd rather take the Chicago game where everybody's contributing.
We got multiple multiple people in double double figures and
we have a comfortable win.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
That was a great night for the game against the Bulls,
and that's one of those situations that you guarded the three,
they took a bunch, didn't make them, and it led
to a lot of transition baskets, a lot of fast
break points.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And then it feels like to me, you man, you
would know this.
Speaker 1 (03:34):
A men and Tari are do for at least two
mid court steals and putbacks in one game, and that
has been a nice little asset to for you to have.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
A from a defensive perspective.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
Yeah, I mean we start start the game with some
guys that are obviously high level of defenders. But to
bring those two off the bench and do what they
do be as disruptive as they are as a luxury
for sure, and you know they're going to play on
ball off ball. Took up the ball pressure and like
you said, full court, they get a stealer too, a
game which turns into a highlight. So we defended the
(04:08):
three much better against them than Milwaukee. Got a ton
of stops and got out and ran against a team
that's not a great transition defensive team and so guarded well.
And that's our formula defensive offense, and we get stops
and run.
Speaker 4 (04:20):
That's where we're at our best.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
You've had Alpi have triple doubles. You've had Fred score
a bunch of points in a short period of time.
Jalen's given you those those types of games as well.
Jalen Jabari gave you one last week. But I would
think probably if you pulled him aside, he's probably not
overly happy with this offensive production this year.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
When you guys talk.
Speaker 1 (04:37):
About his development and maybe nights with the balls and dropping.
Is it bad shot selection, is it spacing? Is it
just ball rims out? When you guys break that down,
what do you see from him offensively?
Speaker 3 (04:51):
A little bit of everything is as far as what
you just mentioned. You know, the open shots here, they're
gonna make it when you're not. You saw that at
the end of the Milwaukee game. We had some op
looks that we missed that would have obviously extended the lead,
and they made a few big shots. And so sometimes
it simply comes down to that, and we keep encouraging
him to be aggressive and confident and take the right shots,
which he did and the Clipper game and obviously carried
(05:15):
over to Chicago, and so.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
That's gonna happen or not.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
But there are other ways you can impact the game
and not just rely on jump shots going in or
scoring in general. So be disruptive defensively. You know, he's
been really good at getting on the offensive glass and
then getting out transition and spacing to your point, whether
it's a three point or drive for basket. Transition is
a big thing for him as well as the rest
of our guys.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
And so that's the main message.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Continue to be aggressive and confident, but find a way
to impact it when the shots not falling.
Speaker 1 (05:44):
Let's get to tar for a little bit. I mean,
just a glue guy. We were just talking about this
before you to join us. Every NBA team wants a
guy like that doesn't necessarily look at the scorecard ands
as I need as many shots, but I want to
be there when necessary, and the defensive intents in the
offensive rebound. And you and I have talked about this
a lot about the time away frustrating to no end,
(06:04):
but even going back to his first year, which was
a very nice rookie campaign, to where he is right now,
where has the jump and his development come from?
Speaker 3 (06:13):
I think just as all around comfort offensively offensively, you know,
he does the things that he does naturally which you
mentioned defensively and in offensive rebound, he has a knack
for those things that you can't really teach. But offensively,
the shot has become much better, much smoother. I think,
you know, him getting out of transition and handling and
starting to create for himself and others is a big
(06:34):
area of growth for him as well. So I think
it's just all around the progression of playing consistent minutes.
You know that was halted last year at a time
with the injuries. But he's a guy that's going to
continue to take leaps every time he plays and obviously
impacts the game in a crazy way.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
So him being healthy is the biggest part.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But you see the jump shot and I think his
recognition offensively of running for running, getting into spacing, being
a screener.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
A little bit more. All those things have really grown
as well. Tonight.
Speaker 1 (07:03):
You got the Pacers coach. Uh, I'm just looking at
their roster. They're beat up a little bit, aren't they.
Speaker 3 (07:09):
Yeah, they've had some tweaks here and there. Guys have
been in the lineup, but you know, we anticipate a
lot of those guys getting back tonight. And when they're back,
they're a really good team obviously, and you know headless
Snake is Halliburton, but Siakam and Turner and Matherns playing
extremely well for them.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
So they got a lot of guys.
Speaker 3 (07:25):
McConnell off the bench, topping off the bench, and a
lot of guys that can contribute. They still want to
play at the fast face that they did last year,
and you know they got to went deep in the
playoffs last year with that style. And so although they're
struggle a little bit now with guys in our lineup,
we know when they're a full strength they're a formidable opponent.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
Yeah, their pacing was up significantly over the year before
when you say that for the audience, that's just kind
of just catching a little bit of basketball here and there.
What does Indiana do beyond the obvious of just pushing
that makes them such a high paced basketball team.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
Well, a lot of people only push off of makes
and turn our missus into runovers. They played with an
extremely fast faced off of make, so they like to
inbound click and I think Halliburn's one of the best
at their kick ahead passes. He takes one dribble and
he finds guys streaking up or turner down the.
Speaker 4 (08:11):
Middle, and so he's kind of engined behind that.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
And in the half court, they really played with a
ton of pace, and so it's not just full court transition,
it's them in the half court they slip most of
the majority of their screens. They're slipping out to cause
confusion so a guy can get ahead of steam or
they can find a shooter slipping out. So they play
really fast in the half court as well, and so
that makes them as equally as dangerous, not just transition wise.
Speaker 1 (08:34):
Lastly, we're celebrating the thirty year anniversary of the Rockets
championship tonight.
Speaker 2 (08:38):
Were were you Were you a.
Speaker 1 (08:40):
Big connoissewer of mid nineties rockets or NBA in general,
or did you just kind of just pick and choose
your games.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
I was when Clyente came over.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Oh wait a minute, that's a year after. What are
you talking about?
Speaker 3 (08:52):
You?
Speaker 2 (08:53):
That's not nice?
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Mid nineties?
Speaker 3 (08:55):
You know, I was watching Portland, obviously watching client directs
in Portland, and then I always watched them do to
you know, my Nigerian background with a keem being here,
and so watched them quite a bit. When Clyde came over,
watched them a ton and yeah, the jerseys are sweep,
you remember those old, older ones with the gold trim
on them. And so it'd be a good good thing
to have back tonight. And I heard we got a
(09:17):
bunch of other guys that wore those jerseys in attend
this tonight.
Speaker 4 (09:20):
So got to put on a show and get a
win from them.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
I know, I got Robert or coming on the show
and in the next segment, So I'm gonna I'm gonna say,
get some rest, I'll see you at the arena tonight
and good luck against the Pacers.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
Tell him hello, that's my old teammate from Antonio.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
So I'm gonna make sure and say you wanted to
interview with me. You can hang out if you want to.
I got other things fair enough, all right, We'll see
you tonight. Thanks coach, appreciate it.
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