The Matt Thomas Show with Ross - Ime Udoka On Rockets 4-Game Winning Streak: 'We Got Back To Guarding At A Pretty High Level'

Episode Date: March 13, 2025

Jalen Green had 29 points while Alperen Sengun scored 20 to lead the Rockets to a 111-104 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Houston extended their winning streak to four games. "We got back to guarding at a pretty high level," head coach Ime Udoka said. With Jabari Smith Jr. and Fred VanVleet returning to the lineup, the Rockets have been given a boost as the conclusion of the regular season approaches in a tightly contested race for spots 2-5 in the Western Conference. "The luck of being totally healthy throughout the season is unrealistic," Udoka said. "That's the blessing that we have with our team is that we have a lot of interchangeable parts." Houston has seen success in rolling out bigger lineups, intermixing Smith, Sengun and Steven Adams. "Double bigs have been really good for us," Udoka said. "It comes down to a war of will with the bigs and smalls out there and who can take advantage of what." Adams and Suns center Mason Plumlee were ejected before halftime of Wednesday's matchup after the pair wrestled each other to the court. Adams' presence under the basket on both ends of the floor is a major factor in the Rockets leading the league in offensive rebounds, averaging 14.7 per game this season. "In order to be a really good offensive rebounder like [Adams] does, you have to have a great sense of where the ball is going to come off the rim. But it starts with his strength and wedging guys under, carving out that space for himself. A lot of times, he's going to get the ball, but also he commands a double, triple team on the glass, and he allows other guys to clean up and get those opportunities as well," Udoka said. The Rockets host the Mavericks on Friday in the first of a back-to-back as the Bulls will be in the Toyota Center the following night.

The Rockets with an off day today, back-to-back games tomorrow against Dallas and Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. Rockets have won four-k and second game to talk about that and other things Houston Rocker-related is the head coach. E. Meadeoca here on the Matt Thomas show with Ross coach. It's Matt Ross. Good afternoon. Congratulations on the four-game stretch. And I brought this up to you yesterday. Is it somewhat nice in a world of NBA when you feel like you're in five cities in 10 days? It's been nice to kind of be home for a little bit to kind of get in some sort of routine here? Yeah, I would say it is after the hectic travel schedule that we had. I think that's some point 13 to 17 on the road and come on for a game and right back out on the road.

So it's good to be back for a little bit. I don't really mind it, but I think the players like to sit down, settle down and be with their families and get on a regular schedule. But it's also nice to be at home for a while and take care of our home quarter advantage. And we did that lately. How tired of you were you of Fred Van Bleepe, the coach? happy were you to have Fred Van Lee the player back on the floor for you last night? Well, we'll get tired of him as far as what he does for our guys, as far as coaching sitting there, and he does that while he's playing as well, so we don't get tired of that part,

but it's great to have him back on the floor, you know, settling things down and just, you know, finding his way, getting his rhythm back and, you know, had a nice fishing game overall. I think, you know, just to get the rest off and have him back out there obviously benefits the team. You know what? This is a Phoenix team that scores a lot of points. It's really strange. In the last two games, you faced two different teams that played different styles. But frankly, I love the defense in those last two games and very good for your squad.

Yeah, we got back to guarding at a pretty high level. Obviously, if you score or you hold somebody in the 80s like we did Orlando, that's a great feat nowadays in NBA. But even except for their late run by Phoenix making some threes late, you know, we held them in the 90s for the most part. And so especially with Bill Booker and Durand out there. I think we did a great job of paying attention to detail, making them work extremely hard. And, you know, obviously when you can hold Durant and Booker to 19 each, you're doing a really good job.

Do you coaches have a nickname for the Jabari Smith, Stephen Adams, Alper and Shingoon lineups? No, we don't. I'm sure people are in the media or people. Jumbo package is what I've heard. How do you like that? Yeah, making our names for that. but sounds good to me.

Double Biggs has been really good for us, though. And when you include Jabari at the three, obviously with the men out right now and some guys in and out on back-to-backs, we have to go with some unique lineups, but they've all done a really good job of adjusting and making taste pay. It comes down to a war of will with the bigs and smalls out there

and who can take advantage of what, and I think our bigs have been taking advantage of smaller lineups and not getting hurt too bad by them as well. Rocket Tech coach, EMA Doco, with us here on Sports Talk 790. what are your conversations or I guess offensive philosophies with Dylan Brooks? His scoring has been up. He's been getting his shot a lot more as well and really helping you guys offensively,

but not normally one of the traditional kind of engines of the offense for you guys. You know, the thing for him is to be aggressive and take the right shots, which he does. He's obviously shooting at a really high level from three. And I always say he finds a way to impact the game, whether it's getting out in transition, relocating off Alpi and Jalen and finding him. his spots, especially when I don't call a ton of plays for him. He impacts the game in a great way. And from there, it's just make the right plays.

A lot of times the team will have a lesser defender on him, and we want him to take advantage of that, whether it's on the offensive glass or occasional post up here or there, just hunting his shots. We guys are helping off of them. So he's been doing a great job of that, making teams pay, and need that aggressiveness. Obviously, the focus

is on some of our leading scores, and he's done a great job all year, being very consistent, knocking down those shots. Stephen Adams gave you a double-double a couple nights back. Obviously, could not do that last night because he and Miles wanted to play W.W.E. in the court last night. But he's always been a good offensive rebound. You know that from all your time watching him over the NBA.

Is it brute strength? Is it just pushing guys aside? Or does he just have the innate ability to know where that ball is going to bounce, especially but does not come off the and down the through the hoop? Well, it's all the above. In order to be a really good offensive rebound like he does, you have to have a great sense of where the ball is going to come off the rim

but starts with his strength and wedging guys under carving out that space for himself and a lot of times he's going to get the ball but also he commands a double and triple team on the glass and he allows other guys to clean up and get those opportunities as well so starts with the strength obviously he's a load down there

you can kind of wedge guys in but he has a really good understanding where the ball's going to come off and then a great understanding of where the shooters and scores are out of that hitting guys going to the basket, kicking out for threes, or finding those footbacks for himself. And so all the above, he's a really smart

player and has obviously worked at that for a long time. Let's say last night that he and Plumley got after it like they did, and no one came on the court. How would have ended? It would have ended with Stephen and quickly. I'm afraid of him, he may. I mean, I'm afraid of you and I'm afraid of him.

You guys, I mean, y'all are some scary mofos. I'm going to tell you that right now. He's just not a friendly gap, but I appreciate what he brings the table. It's kind of nice to have that a little bit of moxie on that squad. You got quite a few guys that will do that if need be. That was good. I mean, he brings the edge to us. You know, obviously, he's a big teddy bear off the court.

He has a great personality as most guys do. And sometimes it's just a flip that gets, the switch that gets flipped on the court. And so he brings that edge and toughness. He's carved out his career doing one thing. But, yeah, we love that about him. And obviously, it's important. what we're trying to do be the number one offensive rebounding team in the league. We have great wings that do it, but for him to come in and do it the way he has,

obviously, it's been helpful as well. But, you know, and don't, I don't want to take anything away from Plumley. That's my guy. He was with us with USA basketball, but great guy as well. But Stephen, to your point, is a very formidable opponent in all those aspects. Yeah, for sure. You may docker with us here on the Matt Thomas Show with Ross. Coach, give us an update on a man.

What is he doing? I know rest, rehab. You've got a great training staff that's watching him probably every minute of the day when they can. Where is he on his progression and his ankle? It's been good. Obviously, precautionary, you know, you get the x-rays and all that. And those are all negative, but you keep them in a walking food just to limit swelling and all those things. And so that's been good.

He's getting the running in on the Alter G treadmill, the non-weight bearing treadmill and moving around, looking very normal, walking around. And that's a great sign, no limp. And a lot of the swelling's getting pushed out. So, yeah, to your point, around the clock treatment to get him back, strengthening work. And then obviously he'll build up little by little until he's on the court and getting back to who he is. Yesterday, you used Cam it a little bit in the second quarter.

I know he had not been playing much beforehand. Was that just a kind of, was that situational? Was that, hey, I want to sneak in a few minutes here, see what he can do? Because I know he probably hasn't been overall very pleased with his work, probably since that game where you started him against Oklahoma City. Yeah, I mean, well, with injuries out, You got to go to different lineups. I think we ran jail in the entire first quarter.

He was on a high streak there, which we usually don't do. And then it was situational with the fouls. Tari and Dylan both got two fouls in the first quarter and didn't want to go to crazy different lineup. And he obviously, Cam is a really good score that can come in and give us a spark. So when we got Jailen out, we brought Cam in to do that. It was a funky lineup out there for sure. But that's what it's going to look like at times when you have readout

and you have I'm in out, obviously, and then you get in foul trouble and things of that nature. So all the guys got to be ready, and they always are for the most part. You see Aaron, Jock, Jeff, Jashon, Cam, as well, work putting in the work, and when their number is called,

they've got to be ready to go. Do you as a coach kind of relish in these opportunities to where things kind of don't go to plan, you've got to figure things out, you've come up with, there's been the zone lineups, there's been the big lineups, that type of stuff.

Does that make the job fun for you? I would say fun to the fact that the injuries and, you know, unavailability on back-to-back so you understand those things are going to happen throughout the season. The luck of being totally healthy throughout a season is unrealistic, and we had good health for the first, you know, three, four months or whatever it was, and now it's been hit, obviously, with the back-to-back guys, and obviously Fred being out quite a while. And so I would say I'm relative, but you have to be ready for everything

and be able to be able to adjust on the fly. And that's the blessing that we have with our team is that we have a lot of interchangeable parts where if someone goes out, I'm in to kind of plug in the hole at every position. Jabari's doing the same, playing small ball five or playing the three for us. And then all of our big wings and even our guards play up as well. Fred's a tough guard, Aaron can play up as well. And so you can mix and match pretty much a lot of different lineups to put guys in spots. But that's the beauty of the team that they all have to be ready for everything.

And I think we can go to zone. We can go to double bigs. and it will all work out well for us in the playoffs going forward. Lastly, and I told us to the audience earlier today, EMA, I am watching the standings too much. It's a sickness I have. Are you doing that? I mean, I think I know that your answer,

but damn, we keep winning, but everybody else in front of us and behind us is keep winning. There's not a whole lot of seismic shifting right now in the Western Conference. Yeah, at the time of the year, we all understand how tight it, tight it is, tight it is basically from two to five. Golden State and Minnesota are right behind there. So you have to handle your business first and foremost. And then from there, you know, get some luck on your side.

It always works, but not have to rely on anybody to win or lose. And, you know, the games we've given away some early in the season and had that little slump, obviously, with the injuries and guys in and out. That hurt us some, and we'd be in a good spot without that. But now it's still in our hands to, you know, us, Denver, Memphis, and Lakers, basically in a four-way tie. We're one game apart for second to fifth. So have to handle our business, take care of the home stretch,

and then go win some games on the road. I like your approach to that. Thank you very much, friend, for the time. We'll see you tomorrow night against the Mavericks. Thank you. You got it. That's E.M.A. Doka with us here on the radio program. It is the Matt Talmos show with Ross.

Thanks again to E. Mae for joining us, and he will be with us again next week. On the road, as the Rockets have three more home games before heading to a Florida trip to Orlando and Miami.