Six games into the NBA season and the Houston Rockets - a team that won an NBA-best 65 games last season - are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference with a 1-5 record. Sure, they've been dealing with injuries and James Harden remains sidelined due to a strained left hamstring, but head coach Mike D'Antoni has to admit they're "playing like crap" right now.
Following last night's blowout loss at home to the Portland Trail Blazers, D'Antoni told reporters that the Rockets have "lost our swagger."
Per ESPN:
"Right now, we're playing like crap," Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We're just not playing well. You know, I don't have a whole lot of answers for you now. We'll look, and we'll fight it."
"We've lost our swagger and we're on our heels," D'Antoni said.
According to ESPN, the Rockets already have matched last season's total with three losses by at least 15 points, including yesterday's 104-85 defeat. Without Harden on the floor, Houston struggled to get anything going on offense, shooting 32.3% from the floor, 23.3% from behind the arc and an abysmal 56.5% from the charity stripe.
Chris Paul led the team with 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Carmelo Anthony finished with just eight points on 2-of-12 shooting.
"When it goes bad, it goes bad," said Carmelo Anthony, per ESPN. "Right now, I think we've just got to keep biting at it, keep fighting, keep playing. I'm big on staying the course and figuring it out. Whatever we have to figure out, I'm sure we will do it.
"It's just a matter of us getting that one win, getting that feeling, getting that winning feeling. It's funny saying that after the team wins 60-something games last year, to say getting back to getting a winning feeling again."
The Rockets will now embark on a five-game road trip that kicks off on Friday night in Brooklyn.