The Rockets crashed out after losing to the Nuggets, NBA says Houston is right

One standout foreign center took the microphone and complained about the referees after the Denver Nuggets' 128-125 overtime win over the Houston Rockets, but it wasn't either of the two big men who fouled out of the game

BY JAKE SHAPIRO

Dec 16, 2025, 5:00 PM

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One standout foreign center took the microphone and complained about the referees after the Denver Nuggets’ 128-125 overtime win over the Houston Rockets, but it wasn’t either of the two big men who fouled out of the game.

Both Jonas Valanciunas in the fourth quarter and Nikola Jokic in overtime were assessed a sixth foul in the contest. There’s no doubt that it was a questionable officiating game, but after it wasn’t the Lithuanian or Serbian talking about the referees. It was the Turkish All-Star Alperen Sengun and his head coach, Ime Udoka, crashing out about calls.

Neither team led by double digits all night, making every call important. The whistles came fast and frequent — 28 fouls on Denver, 25 on Houston — and Rockets coach Ime Udoka did not hold back after the loss.

“Most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time,” Udoka said, likely earning a fine in a game he probably should have been thrown out of in the first half. “Two (referees) have no business being out there, and the crew chief was acting starstruck.”

Ime Udoka on officiating after Rockets loss in Denver.

“Most poorly officiated game I’ve seen in a long time. Two have no business being out there and the crew chief was acting star struck.” @SpaceCityHN @HoustonRockets pic.twitter.com/8NIJFlWSW6

— Vanessa Richardson (@SportsVanessa) December 16, 2025

Jamal Murray took a more measured approach.

“Sometimes, if you don’t dictate it early, it’s a physical game. It’s tough for the refs to call both sides,” he said. “They missed some calls on ours, and they missed some calls on theirs. I don’t really think that was an issue tonight.”

It’s a strategy the Nuggets are trying to employ this year, starting games more physical and staying that way through the season, so the officials may be more tolerant of the contact based on the normalcy of it come playoff time.

But Sengun was a lot closer to his coach than he was to Murray.

“Eventually I’ll get there,” Sengun said about not getting the calls that Jokic does now, before saying he can’t really guard Joker because of the officiating calls it too tight.

"Eventually I'll get there." 🔥
Asked about getting the same calls as Jokic:
🎙️No, I don't know. He got three time MVP. I'm sure he wasn't getting the calls when he was my age too. Eventually I'll get there. He did work all the way this to come to here. pic.twitter.com/5fvGQ0pUCC

— Alperen Şengün Stats (@SengunStats) December 16, 2025

Sengun is shooting 6.8 free throws a game this year and Jokic 7.4 so what he said doesn’t really bear out. Simply Joker is a tough cover and unlike Sengun, the three-time MVP didn’t say anything bad about the Rockets player’s game, just basically stop comparing us, which itself is a bit telling.

“I think people need to stop comparing us. He’s an amazing player by himself,” Jokic said. “People are just — I don’t know what they’re trying to do. He needs to be recognized for who he is. He’s definitely a talented player. Amazing post moves, both shoulders, both arms. He’s really good in the pocket. He added the mid-range, started showing it more, making it. He showed me something like 30-something percent from three, which is not bad. He’s still young. He needs to be recognized as whoever, not comparing him to whoever.”

Nevertheless, the NBA’s Last Two Minute Report backed the Rockets’ anger — saying the Nuggets were given a net of six free throws based on incorrect calls in the final two minutes of regulation, which helped force overtime.

A Jokic trip to free throw line, the league says, should not have been awarded, and it should’ve been a Kevin Durant block. You be the judge with the video below but to my eye it looks like Jokic took some heavy contact there.

A few plays later, Amen Thompson was called for a reach that the L2M says was clean. I don’t know about that.

Finally there’s a for sure missed call on Tim Hardaway Jr. trying to get the ball off a rebound against Sengun.

All three missed calls:

• Clean block on Jokic
• No foul on Amen Thompson
• Hardaway two hand push in the back of Şengün pic.twitter.com/EABqg1gzab

— Bradeaux (@BradeauxNBA) December 16, 2025

Round three of Nuggets and Rockets on Saturday, Denver has won both matchups so far.