LeBron James smoothly dodges question over Ime Udoka confrontation with slick answer
On Saturday night, LeBron James and the LA Lakers defeated the Houston Rockets 107-97. With this defeat, the Rockets remain winless on the road this season, losing eight straight. However, the game did not end without some antics.
James and Rockets coach Ime Udoka got into a verbal exchange with 8:35 left in the game.
Both received technical fouls, and Udoka was ejected as it was his second. Following the game, James used his media savvy to dodge the question. He had a much more festive answer for what the two talked about.
“We were talking about how much we enjoyed Thanksgiving,” James said.
The 21-year-old vet also dodged another question. He had another smooth reply when questioned about receiving three technical fouls this season. One for the words towards Udoka, one for dunking, and another for flopping on taking a charge.
“It’s a wild season. It’s a wild season,” James said.
Udoka was also succinct when talking about the interaction. He had a simple explanation for why he was tossed out of the game.
“They didn’t like what they heard, the refs,” Udoka said. “It was between me and the player.”
We may never know what was exchanged between the two sides. Perhaps James still has some bad blood for the Boston Celtics and views Udoka in Celtics green.
LeBron James and the Lakers send Rockets home with loss
LeBron James and his Lakers squad got back to winning ways on Saturday after losing three games of their last five heading into this matchup. They will have two days off to prepare for the inaugural round of the knockout NBA In-Season Tournament.
LA let out some of those frustrations and found some offensive chemistry in the home win vs. Houston. The team shot nearly 45 percent from the field and used their size to pull away from the smaller Houston.
The Lakers ran multiple lineups with multiple bigs. They dominated inside, outscoring the Rockets 54-34 in the paint.
Their depth also proved crucial. Austin Reaves and Max Christie contributed 30 combined points off the bench. The Lakers reserves outscored the Rockets backups 33-24.
Anthony Davis carried the team with 27 points and 14 rebounds. James, on his part, contributed 16 points.
The second quarter was key for LA. They put together a 29-4 run to take control of the contest and never looked back.