The Houston Rockets’ clash against the Milwaukee Bucks didn’t just end in defeat; it concluded with fines for forward Dillon Brooks and head coach Ime Udoka, both voicing their frustrations with game officials during Sunday night’s 128-119 loss.
The NBA announced disciplinary actions, slapping Udoka with a $25,000 fine for “directing inappropriate language toward a game official.” Meanwhile, Brooks faces a heftier penalty of $35,000 for using language deemed unacceptable and publicly criticizing the officiating.
The contentious moments arose in the closing minute as the Rockets attempted to narrow a 125-116 deficit. Brooks contested a pass from Khris Middleton and seemed pushed out of bounds while keeping the ball in play. Referees delayed a call until Brooks questioned the play, resulting in a technical foul for alleged flopping. A second technical followed as Brooks continued to vocalize his dissent, leading to his ejection.
Udoka joined the fray, expressing his discontent towards the officials in tandem with Brooks’ ejection, resulting in his ejection from the game.
The Houston Rockets’ clash Brooks’ post-game remarks heavily contributed to his fine, expressing frustration at the officiating: “I’m sick of refs being right in front of the play and not making calls, and then compiling it with a bailout call like a flop… It’s unacceptable for me. That ref shouldn’t even be referring to our games, for real.”
Udoka supported Brooks and incurred a fine himself, stating, “It was a blatant missed push out of bounds on that call. But the same ref is missing the same calls throughout the game, calling it very quickly or tight on other plays.”
The contentious play in question occurred late in the game, igniting heated exchanges and ultimately leading to ejections for both Brooks and Udoka in the aftermath of the Rockets’ intense efforts to narrow the score against Milwaukee.
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