Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka didn’t mince his words after suffering an embarrassing 99-93 loss to the Golden State Warriors, who were missing two future Hall of Famers in Steph Curry and Draymond Green (both due to injuries). .

“You struggle offensively, getting rebounds, keeping the ball, playing with physicality, aggression and some assertiveness,” Udoka said after the game. “Certainly one of our softest games since I’ve been here.”

Houston (15-8) lost consecutive games for the first time in the 2024-25 NBA season, and now they have lost an incredible 15 straight games to Golden State (13-8), ending a five-game losing streak. This dubious run dates back to the start of the 2020-21 season.

“The boys didn’t share the ball,” Udoka said. “All the things we did to get a decent record kind of got lost in the last few games. We have to come with some energy and some juice right from the start. A few guys really didn’t look like they showed up until after halftime.”

In an ugly offensive performance, Houston shot just 35 of 93 overall (37.6%) and 10 of 38 from 3-point range (26.3%). The Rockets had an out-rebound rate of 54-45 despite being the NBA’s best rebounding team all season.

Individual players who shot below their norm included:

• Fred VanVleet: 13 points, 5 of 16 shots (31.3%)

• Jalen Green: 14 points, 4 of 16 shots (25.0%), 0 of 4 on 3-pointers

• Alperen Sengun: 16 points, 7 of 15 shots (46.7%)

• Amen Thompson: 14 points, 5 of 13 shots (38.5%)

• Reed Sheppard: 6 points, 2 of 6 shots (33.3%), 1 of 5 on 3-pointers (20.0%)

The absence of Tari Eason (concussion protocol), who was Houston’s best player in an overtime loss to the Warriors earlier this season, certainly had some impact. But on a night when the Warriors were missing two future members of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, it would be silly for the Rockets to use that as an excuse.

“We gave up the things that made us successful at the beginning of the season,” said Udoka. “Sharing the ball. We’re not a team that’s going to beat people one-on-one. We have to do it as a team. You will make stops, get out and run in transition. We’re going to crash the offensive glass and the things we emphasize are what got us the record in the first place.”

“We just stand around and watch the boys play one-on-one or not get involved in the game and influence the game if you don’t score a goal.”

The Rockets will have another opportunity to end their historic losing streak against the Warriors next Wednesday in a rematch from Houston. This game is also a quarterfinal knockout round game in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup.

But after the loss to the Warriors with their two big names, it’s difficult to have much confidence in a rematch in which at least Curry is likely to play. With another loss to Golden State, Houston would become the active league leader with the most consecutive losses to a single opponent (16), making it the 44th longest such streak in NBA history.

More: Jonathan Kuminga scores a career-high 33 points as the Rockets lose their 15th straight to the Warriors

This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Ime Udoka rips the ‘soft’ Rockets amid questionable losing streak against the Warriors