The Los Angeles Lakers are up against the Houston Rockets on December 2, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena after the previous loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The No. 7 seed in the Western Conference beat the Houston Rockets 107-97 by the end of the fourth quarter.
Adding to the pressure, the night might not be a pleasant one for the Rockets, as the franchise is already riding on a two-game losing streak. The ejection of the Rockets’ head coach, Ime Udoka, just a few minutes into the game seems to be another bad omen for the Houston Rockets.
Rockets coach Ime Udoka gets ejected from the game after an exchange with LeBron 👀🍿 pic.twitter.com/rPX7AvG3Jb
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 3, 2023
LeBron James and Rocket’s head coach got into a heated verbal scuffle when the latter got ejected after receiving his second technical foul. The verbal back and forth between the two took place in front of Houston’s bench after Cam Reddish got a technical.
LeBron James and Rockets coach Ima Udoka exchanged words and were both hit with technical fouls. Udoka was ejected from the game because it was his second T.
— Brad Turner (@BA_Turner) December 3, 2023
The ejection seemed to be on the cards for the coach since he had been talking a lot during this game, even at the referees and at the players. It was James’ first technical foul of the night and Udoka’s fifth this season and second of the night. That’s not all from the Rockets, as the franchise has often targeted King James to carry out violent altercations.
Has the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Houston Rockets turned ugly since Dillon Brooks’ arrival?
It’s not the first instance where the franchise has made it to the headlines for getting ejected mid-game. The constant brawl between Dillon Brooks and LeBron James dates back to the time when the former played for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Dillon Brooks has stood his ground with constant trash talk against the king of longevity this season as well. Although King James doesn’t get bothered by players until they can amass a tally of 40 points in a game, the frequent ejection somehow affects the team.
Similarly, after Udoka got ejected, the Rockets suffered in the second quarter. Although the team managed to sustain a lead in the third and fourth quarters, the lag couldn’t be covered in the absence of Ime Udoka.The frequent scuffles between LeBron James and the Rockets don’t seem to stop anytime soon as long as Dillon Brooks is a part of the franchise.