Willie Green's Brutally Honest Statement After Blowout Loss to Rockets

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green addressed the media after his team's lopsided loss to the Houston Rockets.

Dec 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green reacts against the Denver Nuggets during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images / Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans lost their eighth straight game on Thursday evening after an embarrassing 128-111 defeat to the Houston Rockets. Houston won a wire-to-wire victory in dominating fashion, leading by as many as 30 points at one point. The loss drops the Pelicans to a woeful 5-26 on the season, which marks the worst record in the Western Conference.

New Orleans played Thursday's game without Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, who both remain out with injuries. During this rough stretch, Pelicans' head coach Willie Green has preached a need for competitiveness and togetherness. He echoed similar sentiments in his postgame press conference, calling his team soft after this performance.

Nov 27, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green stands on the court against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

"We didn't execute the game plan, starting with myself," Green admitted. "Just a lack of competitiveness from our group from start to finish. ... We were just soft tonight. Period."

This was a brutally honest statement from the Pelicans head coach.

Watch Live: Willie Green#Pelicans | @CaesarsSports https://t.co/4zzmTjYD1y

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) December 27, 2024

The Pelicans went ice-cold late in the first quarter, scoring just two points over the last four minutes as the Rockets began to distance themselves. Houston put the final nail in the coffin with a 41-point third quarter to put the game away. Trey Murphy III led the Pelicans in scoring with 21 points on 4/9 shooting from beyond the arc.

The start of the year has been disappointing, to say the least, after much optimism heading into the new season.

Dec 26, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Javonte Green (4) fouls Houston Rockets forward Jae'Sean Tate (8) as he drives to the basket during the first half at Smoothie King Center. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

New Orleans won 49 games last season, the second-most in franchise history, and after acquiring former all-star guard Dejounte Murray, many believed the Pelicans could be a viable threat in the Western Conference. Instead, their best player, Zion Williamson, has only played in six games this year, and the team has only won one road game this season after setting a franchise record for wins on the road a season ago.

New Orleans plays again on Friday night while hosting the Memphis Grizzlies at the Smoothie King Center.

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