Ime Udoka Made Key Substitution Late in Game 3 That Ultimately Burned the Rockets

This one should have been predictable.

Apr 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka on the bench during the first quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Game 3 between the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers was about as pressure-packed as it gets, for the Rockets at least. Houston found themselves in a desperate state, after dropping the first two games of the series.

The stakes became exponentially harder when Kevin Durant, the Rockets' leading scorer was ruled out before the game, due to an ankle injury. The Rockets' backs were against the wall.

They couldn't afford to go down 0-3. No team has ever come back from such a series deficit. And even if the Rockets were able to settle the score, the odds of them winning a Game 7 on the road in Los Angeles would be very low.

Houston got out to a double-digit deficit in the first half but clawed back dramatically. In fact, the Rockets had the game largely won. Or wrapped up. Houston had a six point lead with 30 seconds left in regulation. 

Then, Rockets coach Ime Udoka made a substitution that seemed prime for disaster. I felt it right away.

And anyone who has watched this Rockets ball club throughout the season likely had the same school of thought. Udoka put Jae’Sean Tate in the game, in place of Reed Sheppard with 49 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.

Tate is a hard-nosed player, who has relentless hustle and plays physical. Former Lakers coach Darvin Ham once described him as a bowling ball, and accurately so.

However, on defense, sometimes that can get you in trouble. Particularly with the officials. As I watched in real time, I felt Tate was going to be called for a foul, in a key moment of the game, but I hoped to be wrong.

Two possessions later, after Lakers guard Marcus Smart got a key steal on a Jabari Smith Jr. turnover, Smart drew a foul on Tate, while in the motion of shooting a 3-pointer, which couldn't have been a more inopportune time.

Smart drained all three free throws. Udoka immediately subbed Tate out and put Sheppard back in (which led to a turnover that allowed the Lakers to tie the game with a 3-pointer on the other end). The game went to overtime and the Rockets ultimately lost 112-108. Interestingly enough, Tate didn't play at all during the overtime period.

At the end of the day, it's unfair to pin Game 3 on Tate. Especially when Smith and Sheppard committed turnovers that gave the Lakers possessions on multiple occasions. However, it wasn't at all surprising when Tate got called for the foul that allowed the Lakers a chance to trim the deficit on the other end.