The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Ime Udoka Joins After Rockets Take Down Clippers

Episode Date: December 12, 2025

Ime Udoka Joins After Rockets Take Down Clippers

Rockets last night, knock off the Clippers, 1231 on Sports Talk 790. It is a Matt Thomas show with Ross, and we are pleased to be joined for the next 10 minutes by the head coach. After winning that game in a very bizarre ending in many regards, coach is Matt Ross. Good afternoon. Do you that last 20 seconds or so felt like it took about 15 minutes to play? Yeah, definitely. It was obviously the reviews and looking at flagrants and offensive foul, defensive foul. took a little bit of time, but

guys kept their composure and pulled it out. Some clutch plays were made down the stretch. You got a little bit of help your heavy lifting. I mean, it was a night where Kevin Durant felt like he was double-teamed 80% of the time. Other guys stepped up. It had been a while since the team had played.

How much do you attribute that to Rust? How much do you attribute that to clippers of something to prove coming out? Bottom one is, you know, it's a 48-minute game and you like to play all 48 brilliantly, but sometimes it's just not going to happen. Yeah, it felt like we were in mud a little bit, especially in the first half. You know, they're a team that we want to play with some pace, get up and down and

really move them, and it felt like we were playing at their pace and a little bit slower than we would have liked in the first half. Predative Reed and Aaron and some of our bench guys coming in and kind of injecting some energy and some juice into the game, and that's what really helped us get the lead in the third quarter. That was a really good quarter, and in fact, Kevin was probably in his best in that during the game. is he and you've known him for a very long period of time

does sometimes the game come to him and he goes all right I'll take what they give me and then sometimes he has to force his way because it felt like to me especially after the way he kind of performed in the first half that he had a little bit of extra spice in his going and he wanted to get things going offensive for himself in the third quarter in particular

yeah definitely I mean he's going to let the game dictate if teams are going after him he has no problem getting off the ball and letting other guys be a recipient but at the same time, you still want to be aggressive and look for your spots and your shots. And, you know, at times if they're doubling and we're picking them apart and you're up 15, 20, teams have to kind of relax on that and he'll get loose.

But it being a close game, their game plan was seeming to work in the first half. So he up to his aggression, up to his pace. I think we set some really good screens and he got downhill a little bit, got to his spots. Rocket Tech coach, Ema, Doko, was here on Sports Talk 790. And we mentioned at the start of the interview about how long the end of that, that game took. What is your opinion just in general about the review system, the challenge system now, to where they got rid of the final two-minute stuff, to where you want to get the calls right, but you've got to also find the balance of the game's not dragging out?

Yeah, I mean, I think getting it right is the main point there. And so, you know, they're going to take a look at certain things. You know, the offensive foul was one thing, but, you know, we clearly thought he got, Javar got fouled before that, and they didn't overturn it, so we were kind of surprised by that. But credit to our guys, like I said, they kept their composure moved on, and we went from an unfortunate play to Aaron taking a charge and playing really good defense there. And so as the ebbs and blows of the game, I think getting the right is the most important thing.

And although we felt that it was still wrong with it, like I said, we held our composure and got it pulled it out. Well, I'd like to congratulate you, Coach. This will be about the 500th time you've been asked about turnovers this season. And so congratulations on that. But in terms of, you know, a lot of talk about improving the turnovers and not playing in a crowd and stuff. What is that process for you like working with the team? How much is that game tape or practice or talking to guys individually?

What are the steps that you take to trying to improve that? It's literally all over the above that you just mentioned. Obviously, we point out in film sessions with the group, you know, especially halftime. We had nine or nine in halftime, and I think we upped it to 10 in the second half time. So we talked about the reason that they're in the game is because we're gifting them these points and then didn't get much better than the second half. So we do that.

A lot of individual work with, you know, defenders and showing the crowd and when to get off the ball. And then, like you said, individual meetings as well and understanding Alper and Kevin the attention they're going to draw and, you know, for our guys getting to the spacing, you know, sprinting to the outlets and kind of not just leaving these guys on the island. And so we'll go about a little bit differently.

Obviously, with Fred in the past, our turnovers have gone down significantly with him handling. But we got multiple guys now. Kevin's going to initiate times. Alpern's going to initiate. I'm going to initiate. And it leads to some of that. But the balance that will bring us in the end of the season, I think will pay off. Does Alpe still at practice is bringing the ball up a quarter of a minute?

Is that a science? Is that just key fundamentals of being a basketball player? Because you do give him quite a bit of responsibility in doing that. you know he starts our fast break and I think some teams that you know we have 24 fast break points a big part is him and a man rebounding and pushing and you know it's great to have a center that can leave the break and get out and run and kind of find guys all over the court and just puts an extra amount of pressure on defenders and so something that he does naturally well we encourage it of course he's one of our best pastors and more cerebral players and so we want him to do that

every chance he gets I'm sure you may if we were doing Denver radio we would say Well, Yolkich does this, but I'm worried about the Rockets, as are you, the assist combination of a men to Alpi and then vice versa. How many combinations in the NBA can do that, where each guy works as well with each other to finish the baskets on the offensive side of the floor? Yeah, it's a uniqueness that they have. Both guys can handle or be the recipient setting the screen and rolling and popping and all those things. So tough to guard, you know, put people in different positions, but a man works so well either way, you know, handling or sending those screens and getting the hit under. He was great, you know, some hard roles last night, and he's done that over last year.

It's not just been a ball handler, but played in the dunker, played and, you know, setting screens and doing some different things, so he has a lot more versatility to his game now. EMA, there are still James Hardin fans in this town, and you and I talked before the game about the amount of time to get to the free throw line, and that wasn't much of an issue. In fact, I think more than half their shots last night were from three. That seems like not nearly as prevalent as it was it four or five years ago. But was that a huge part of this kind of report is, you know what? If they're going to take those three, give them their chances and kind of live and dive at what they do perimeter-wise?

Yeah. You know, Kauai, Leonard, only got three and Hardin only got five. And so, you know, we know those guys are two of the most. Hardin's average in nine and Kauai about five and a half, you know, kind of foul baiters. And so we wanted to be disciplined, show our hands. And other than one slapdown, I think, by Reed, and then the foul on the three-pointed by Jabari, did a pretty good job on James, you know, making them finish shots and quiet as well.

So the three-pointers, we were living with certain guys. We showed a crowd and encouraged other guys to shoot it. Made a few early, but the numbers came back to their norm, and I think that really helped us out. Long road trip coming up, and years past, team was a little bit younger. You talked about teaching guys about handling themselves, taking care of themselves on the road.

Is that a little bit less of a point of emphasis these days, or still something you talk to the team about? No, I think guys are mature. They understand the routine they need to be in. You know, we're going on a long 113 days, six games, but holiday season and all that and family and, you know, Christmas Day games. And so we still mention that, you know, handling business, taking care of business on the road.

But it was good to get this mini break here, play this one game. Now you get three days before seeing Denver again. Loading up for that, I think guys understand the task of hand and this important time of the year. By its nature, you have to have this mini break because you don't know who the NBA Cups are. You've got to schedule games and whatnot. Generally speaking, I know we're all accustomed to it, but do you like it? I mean, would you like to have had two days in this break, maybe scattered during later on during the course of the year?

Or is it, look, I look at a counter. We just play what's in front of us. Yeah, kind of just play what's in front of you. You know, make it to Las Vegas. It's a little bit different like we did last year, but you take advantage of it for sure. You know, we were coming off of five games and seven nights leading up to this break, so it was needed with some guys banged up and hopefully returning from injury soon and sickness with Alpi.

And so we took advantage of it, like I said, tried to sharpen up some things and look at what we did well and not so well in the first 21 games, and then, you know, rest your body up and get ready to go. So we'll do the same thing. Take a look at Denver the first game and be off of three days of rest and have a good amount of energy going to Denver. Lastly, you were talking about Alpi. Defensively, Zubats had a great game, and that's not just his solo responsibility, but is it a good

warm-up for Yokic, or is just Yokic, a one-of-a-kind type of player that, frankly, he spends just as much time outside the arc than he does inside of it? No, it's very unique. It's two different things. You know, we had Zabari on Zubach, and, you know, we're trying to take away

Leonard and harden more often and encouraging other guys to shoot or make plays. You don't want somebody going 13 for 14, but you know, if he's, if he's getting post-ups and low-post looks, it's taken away from what they're mainly trying to do. And so we'll allow done to get the shots, we'll allow Zubat to get the shots, and that's very different

from Yolkett's strategy, of course. Are you bringing two suitcases? I've never brought two suitcases on an NBA road trip in my entire life, you may. I don't know, how are you handling this long trip we're about to go on? I'll definitely be packing two suitcases for sure. Okay. Because I mean, like, I just

don't want to do it, but I feel like it's too damn long. I wanted in cleaning on the road. You know, that's that works. Unless equipment stuff. One for clothes and one for pickleball equipment? Oh, that's right. How is the pickleball game? Give up people on all the update.

How are you feeling on that? I'm feeling good. I had a bad day the other day. One of the worst performances I had. But other than that, I've been solid. Do you blank talk on the court like you did as a basketball player or no? A lot of yelling. A lot of yelling for sure.

Seems like an easy yes. Coach just say yes. It's all right. It's all right. We got your back. We don't judge. That's right. Thank you for the time. We'll see you Sunday before the trip to Denver.

Thanks for the time, as always. Thank you guys. All right. See you later.