Rockets Head Coach Ime Udoka: 'Looking Forward To Getting Back To Who We Are Tonight' When Hosting Cavaliers

The Matt Thomas Show with Ross

The Houston Rockets will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night for a huge interconference matchup, as the Cavaliers sit atop the Eastern Conference with a 36-6 record. The Rockets are coming off Monday's 107-96 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Cade Cunningham recorded 32 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. While the Pistons committed 23 turnovers, they were able to force the Rockets into 17 turnovers and convert it into 19 points. "We felt like we woke up a little bit late, coming off the west coast trip, early game, all those things. Bottom line was they outplayed us, out-hustled us, were more aggressive, and that has rarely happened this year, so looking forward to getting back to who we are tonight," Rockets head coach Ime Udoka said. Despite balanced scoring, the Rockets shot 39% and struggled from beyond the arc, making 11 of 39. "It was a rare off night for a lot of people. And then once our defense did settle down, we just didn't score at the rate that we needed to," Udoka said. The Rockets will look to return to the win column against a dominant Cavaliers team, led by Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland. "They present a lot of challenges and have a lot of balance." With Cavaliers center Evan Mobley ruled out of Wednesday's game, Alperen Sengun has an opportunity to improve upon his latest offensive struggles. "We invite the double teams that he attracts to garner a bunch of free shots for everybody else. But when they do guard you one-on-one, go make them pay," Udoka said. After Wednesday's contest, the Rockets will begin a four-game road trip that includes a back-to-back following the rescheduling of a game against the Atlanta Hawks. "I don't mind the road schedule at all. I think it builds character and toughness. We've obviously done a much better job this year than last year," Udoka said. The Rockets are currently 14-7 in road games so far this season.