Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka defended defensive ace Amen Thompson from the Golden State Warriors fans who labeled the young guard a “dirty player.”
“It’s obvious it wasn’t intentional,” Udoka told reporters. “You look at all the bodies in between and [Thompson] getting bumped and tripped and the way he fell. You don’t fall into somebody face first on purpose.”
Thompson drew the ire of the Warriors fans when he inadvertently undercut Jimmy Butler with 1:51 left in the first quarter. Butler exited with a pelvis contusion and his status for Game 3 is questionable.
“Amen’s obviously not a dirty player,” Udoka said, then he took a swipe at the Warriors. “There’s a difference between aggressive, physical play and being dirty and you could question some of their things as well on their end.”
Dillon Brooks also defended Thompson and instead passed the blame on Butler’s teammate Draymond Green.
“No, I think the dirty player is Draymond, giving [Amen] a little push,” Brooks told reporters following Friday’s practice. “Jimmy was fighting there for a rebound, and stuff happens. Amen is not a dirty player. He has nothing to do with being a dirty player. We’re not worried about that. We’re on to the next game and we hope Jimmy can get better.”
Asked Dillon Brooks about it:
“I think the dirty player is Draymond giving him a little push… We hope Jimmy can get better.”
Shortly after that controversial play late in the first quarter, Brooks and Green got into it in the second quarter, pushing and shoving each other.
Steve Kerr, Moses Moody Respond to Dillon Brooks Accusation
Golden State coach Steve Kerr was in disbelief after he was told about Brooks labeling Green a dirty player.
“Dillon said that?” Kerr asked, bewildered.
“Interesting,” he followed up with a meaningful smile.
Warriors starting wing Moses Moody also fired back at the Rockets mercurial forward.
“It’s a little ironic, isn’t it?” Moody snapped back, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk.
Brooks and Green have a long-standing beef dating back to when the former was still with the Memphis Grizzlies.
They are both chirpy and play with emotions.
Jalen Green Makes History in Rockets’ Game 2 Win
The Rockets took advantage of Butler’s early exit as they padded their eight-point lead to cruise to the 109-94 win, their playoff victory since 2020.
Jalen Green feasted on the Warriors’ suddenly vulnerable perimeter defense.
Green bounced back from a seven-point performance in Game 1 with a historic 38-point explosion in Game 2.
“The lights were bright, the crowd was here, the court looked huge,” Green said of his Game 1 jitters. ” So I couldn’t get a chance to settle in. My legs were a little shaky.”
He finally settled down in Game 2 and made history as the youngest player at 23 years and 74 days old in the Rockets franchise to score 38 points, surpassing franchise icon and Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, who was 23 years and 95 days old on April 26, 1986, when he did the scoring feat.
Green also became the youngest guard in NBA history to record at least eight 3-pointers in a playoff game.
Behind Green, Alperen Sengun and Tari Eason, the Rockets built their largest lead, 40-20, midway through the second quarter.
Houston’s young trio combined for 45 points in the first half.
They are looking to build on that momentum against the more experienced Warriors with or without Butler.
Rockets Coach Ime Udoka Takes a Shot at Warriors After Dirty Player Accusation