Rockets Coach Ime Udoka Not Pleased with Starters in Loss to 76ers

Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka was not pleased with the production he received from his starters amid a loss to the 76ers.

Coach Ime Udoka could not find anything positive from the Houston Rockets' 124-115 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Less than two minutes into Monday's game, Udoka called a timeout after the Rockets fell behind by five points with 10:43 left in the first quarter.

After trailing by as many as 28 points in the first half, the Rockets cut into the 76ers' dominating lead midway through the third quarter. They came within 13 points due to the play of Jalen Green inside the Wells Fargo Center.

But despite their attempt at a near improbable comeback, Udoka remained upset by Houston's subpar performance from its starting five.

Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) drives for a score against the Philadelphia 76ers during the fourth quarter at Wells Fargo Center / Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

"In general, I did not love the performance from our starters," Udoka said. "He [Green] was able to get things going late. But you have to come out with that intensity from the start.

"When had our chances in the third quarter, even with missing free throws. But that urgency we came out with in the third quarter has to be there from the beginning of the game."

After a quiet first two quarters, Green scored 18 of his 20 points in the second half. He also added five rebounds and three assists in the loss. Green began the third quarter by delivering a bounce pass to Alperen Şengün, who scored on a layup attempt.

Şengün finished with 19 points, nine rebounds and six assists. Dillon Brooks added 18 points, while Jabari Smith Jr. notched 13 points and seven rebounds in the loss. Fred VanVleet was the only starter who did not score in double figures, as he ended the day with eight points on 2 of 5 shooting from the field.

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The Rockets won the second half by 10 (68-58), but their improved play wasn't enough to overcome a 41-point performance from reigning league MVP Joel Embiid. In addition to his scoring, Embiid added 10 rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal in the win.

"Some of the things that we talked about during pre-game and showed on film, they did the opposite from the first few possessions," Udoka said. "They are a team that swarm to the ball, play physical, that happened during the first few possessions. That was the reason for the quick timeout."