The NBA announced Tuesday that it is issuing a combined $60,000 in fines to Ime Udoka, head coach of the Rockets, and veteran forward Dillon Brooks. The fines are being issued due to Houston’s criticism of the league’s officials, which Brooks and Udoka did in the aftermath of Sunday’s close loss at Milwaukee.
From the league’s official announcement:
Houston Rockets forward Dillon Brooks has been fined $35,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a game official and publicly criticizing the officiating, and Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has been fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language toward a game official, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, executive vice president, head of basketball operations.
The incident, for which Brooks and Udoka were both assessed technical fouls and ejected, occurred with 0:38 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Rockets’ 128-119 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Dec. 17 at Fiserv Forum.
Video of Sunday’s incident is available below, along with postgame reaction by Brooks and Udoka from the visiting locker room.
Sunday’s controversial incident
Dillon Brooks gets pushed out of bounds. No call.
Brooks then gets ejected for arguing the obviously missed call.
Ime Udoka ejected shortly after for also arguing with the officials. pic.twitter.com/LiSVRaf5JX
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 18, 2023
Referee’s perspective
Official Bill Kennedy said the Dillon Brooks inadvertent elbow on a fast break was an "illegal act" while the Brook Lopez elbow to Fred VanVleet was "part of a normal basketball move."
Brooks was ejected for "disrespecting a game official using profanity." https://t.co/HjuUhER6wF pic.twitter.com/4dz4AyGJdH
— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) December 18, 2023
Dillon Brooks on what happened
Via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
(It was) about the call. 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. I ran full speed to get the ball after I made a great play on trying to get a steal. Two hands are on me. After that, I’m throwing the ball and trying to protect myself and not falling into whatever that was, into the fans or the bottom of the floor.
I’m trying to protect myself and then on top that, he wants to call a flop with a minute left. That doesn’t make sense. Make calls during the game while the game is going on, but not trying to get something off. It’s unacceptable for me. That ref shouldn’t even be reffing our games, for real.
Ime Udoka’s postgame reaction
Via Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:
It was a blatant missed push out of bounds on that call, obviously. But the same ref (Suyash Mehta) is missing the same calls throughout the game, calling it very quickly or tight on other plays. Yeah, it was that specific play, but it was a ton of missed calls throughout.
Ime Udoka on the elbow Fred VanVleet took early in the game:
"Very similar to the call they called on Dillon. Fred got elbowed too. One goes one way and one goes the other. I can see it from the opposite end and three refs can't see it right there." pic.twitter.com/bVvqpYYdCJ
— Jackson Gatlin (@JTGatlin) December 18, 2023
League’s announcement
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/wn3MDKwfAA
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 19, 2023
