Mike D'Antoni: Rockets Played "Soft" in Game 3 Blowout Loss

Mike D'Antoni says Rockets played "Soft" during Game 3 blowout Loss to Warriors

Houston Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said his team played "soft" after his team suffered their worst playoff loss in history on Sunday.

The Golden State Warriors routed Houston 126–85 to take a 2–1 in their best–of–seven series in the Western Conference Finals.

"It's just one thing led to another," D'Antoni said. "Played soft, actually. I mean, you can't do that with these guys. These guys are good. If you want points, you have to play well. We didn't make shots early, we turned it over."

The Rockets shot 40% from the field, including 35% in the first half. and turned the ball over 20 times.

James Harden, who led Houston with 20 points, agreed with D'Antoni's assessment of the game.

"He's right,” Harden said. “We weren't as aggressive as we needed to be. We started off the game pretty solid, and then we let them gain some confidence to end the first quarter. You know, but just defensively they didn't feel us and it showed tonight."

Game 4 is Tuesday in Oakland.