Rockets Coach Stephen Silas' Frustration Boils Over Following Loss To Kings
HOUSTON — Coach Stephen Silas wanted his team to play with pride and effort Monday night against the Sacramento Kings. It marked the Houston Rockets' first game since giving up a season-high 153 points to the Oklahoma City Thunder two nights ago.
The Rockets had a better offensive outing. But on the defensive end, Houston failed to meet Silas' desires in a 140-120 loss to the Kings inside the Toyota Center.
The game marked the 23rd time an opponent scored 120 points or more against Houston this season. And over the previous two games, the Rockets have given up 293 points.
"They are not giving the effort on the defensive end," Silas said. "They are not getting after it like they are supposed to. They are not getting into their man or fighting over the screens and helping each other. They are not doing what they are supposed to do."
Silas' frustration was mounting displeasure due to the Rockets' terrible defense.
They have given up an average of 120.4 points since falling to the Miami Heat on Dec. 15. And while posting the league's worst record at 4-23, the Rockets have a defensive rating of 120.5.
It's one thing for the Rockets to be appalling on defense without the right talent and personnel. But for Silas, the lack of effort Houston has shown on the defensive end has been the most disappointing.
Jalen Green credited Houston's lackluster defensive efforts due to bad communication and did not blame Silas for his anger. Green said players failed to communicate on several occasions throughout the night, which led to easy scoring opportunities for Sacramento.
Green said Silas' message to the team was to play hard for 48 minutes against the Kings. Unfortunately, his message has been reiterated several times since mid-December.
"This team can score," Silas said. "But to let guys lineup for wide-open 3's, we do not do that. Over these last few games, this is not how we are supposed to play. It is not us doing all of the things we talked about all season. It's not."
Silas noted that his players gave up several wide-open shots from behind the arc to the Kings. He said his players did not closeout to contest shots. And by the end of the night, the Kings drilled 21 triples while shooting 51.2 percent from behind the arc.
Rookie Keegan Murray had a monster performance with a career-high 30 points while shooting 8-of-12 from 3-point range. Malik Monk added 20 on 4-of-7 shooting from behind the arc.
"It was disappointing," Silas said. "It's youth. Are we going out there and doing everything we can possibly do to win the game? Or are we going out there just to play a game?
"These are the lessons we have to learn and all that stuff. But that is not right. What we did tonight on that floor was not right."
You can follow Coty M. Davis on Twitter at @CotyDavis_24
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