Ime Udoka praises his players’ response

The Houston Rockets beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday despite the delicate absence of Fred VanVleet due to a minor injury to his right knee. The point guard is the team’s offensive catalyst and the other leg in the engine in creating plays together with Alperen Sengun. For this reason, coach Ime Udoka praised the team’s performance without him point guard heading.

Specifically, the coach praised the Rockets’ ball control in the second half. After suffering ten turnovers before halftime, the Texans made better decisions and didn’t drop a ball in the final twenty minutes. This was an encouraging sign for Udoka, who relied on Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and Sengun to organize the offense.

“He’s a calming influence on the team. That helps us do what we need to do,” Udoka said of VanVleet. “We want guys to grow and learn that. When he’s not around, it’s good for us to do a little more. We went to some different players to start the offense and they did well.”

Now a new challenge is on the horizon for the Texans. They will face the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Cup quarterfinals on Wednesday. VanVleet may be back for that game, according to reports from the NBA. Houston ChronicleTari Eason could also be back in action after missing two games due to the NBA’s concussion protocol.