It’s not every day that someone is chirping at the baby-faced assassin – let alone an opposing coach.
The usually mild-mannered Warriors star Stephen Curry walked off the floor for halftime during Sunday’s matchup against the Rockets when cameras picked up Curry jawing back and forth with Ime Udoka.
With the game tightly contested at 51-50 in favor of the Rockets, Udoka appears to walk by Curry and said something that Curry didn’t like as he shook his head in disapproval before eventually being separated to their locker rooms.
Stephen Curry struggled on Sunday in a heated playoff race. NBAE via Getty ImagesUdoka poked the bear and didn’t pay for it, as the Rockets defeated the Warriors 106-96 in a game that both teams needed to win as teams fight for seeding in the wild western conference.
Curry, in particular, had a terrible game as he was saddled with the prospect of scoring on second year pro, defensive-maestro Amen Thompson.
Ime Udoka and Stephen Curry did some jawing at halftime. X, @_HoopsNationCurry ended the game with just three points on 1-10 shooting (1-8 from 3-point range) and he scored zero points in the second half after the interaction.
When asked about the skirmish, Curry did not answer the question seriously.
“He made a reservation at International Smoke and canceled it. I was upset with him,” Curry said as teammate Draymond Green and Curry began laughing.
Ima Udoka is never afraid to trade barbs with star players. APUdoka was also asked about the comments after the game, calling it all friendly.
“I was talking to my team about the physicality. This is the type of game we like. This is who we are. He said something. I said something. A little friendly banter,” Udoka said.
Udoka is no stranger to talking trash while coaching, previously getting ejected in a spicy moment with LeBron James in Dec. 2023.
Except now his team is among the best in basketball, having led his team to a stellar 52-27 record,
These two teams could easily meet in the playoffs if the seedings shake out correctly.
The Warriors, 46-32, have been one of the best teams in basketball since the trade deadline after having traded for Jimmy Butler at the trade deadline.
Golden State has done an excellent job in recent weeks of improving its record to the point where it should avoid the play-in.
The Warriors are currently the sixth seed in the West although those musical chairs will keep moving throughout the regular season’s final week.
They are slated to face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, and the winner of that series could face the Rockets in round two, assuming the bracket plays out as projected.
