Rockets’ skid grows to 5 games
Skid hits five as malaise from previous loss shows up in missed shots, shoddy defense
WASHINGTON — There were open 3s that clanged rims, loose balls and rebounds that bounced before the Wizards swept in past the slow-footed Rockets to scoop them up and rush the other way.
The blowout had seemed certain from the opening minutes when the Rockets could not make the shots they are built to take.
It might have been likely by the time the team bus pulled into the team hotel at around 3 a.m. Friday, its passengers smarting from the most disheartening of losses the night before in Boston. The Rockets could barely delay it until the fourth quarter, but once the run came, the Wiz-
ards swept to a 121-103 rout Friday, sending the Rockets home with a fifth consecutive loss and the longest losing streak in NBA history immediately following a winning streak as long as 14
games.
With that, the Rockets hope the return of players out with injuries — with Chris Paul returning Friday and coach Mike D’Antoni saying center Clint Capela will play Sunday — will begin to repair the damage done.
“Mentally we’re fine,” said D’Antoni, who cleared his bench with the Wizards holding a 20-point lead with 6:20 left. “We have some tired legs and we’re missing the big guy in the middle, giving us some force to the rim. James (Harden) was tired tonight. Chris is just coming back.
“We have excuses, but that doesn’t work. It doesn’t matter. We lost. They won. They were the better team tonight. We have a home game in two days, we have to start from there.”
But the Rockets knew that to build back to the level of play they enjoyed in the heights of the winning streak will take more than improved health.
Defense takes beating
After losing in the final minute in Oklahoma City and in the final seconds in Boston, it was all the Rockets could do to stay in the game until the fourth quarter, with the Wizards playing with far greater speed and energy.
The Wizards were the third team in the losing streak to top 120 against the Rockets, as many as had scored that much against the Rockets in the first 29 games combined.
“They made tough shots, but our defensive pressure wasn’t where it needed to be,” Harden said. “Not just tonight, but it’s been like that in our little skid. We just got to get back to our basics, get back to how we know how to play, and we’ll be good.”
Though Paul returned after three games out with a strained groin muscle, he struggled, making 3 of 11 shots. He said he felt no discomfort with his groin, but was not sharp after sitting out more than a week.
Paul knocks off rust
“It’s always a little nerve-wracking coming back,” said Paul, who played 25½ minutes. “The minute restriction thing is always the hardest thing, but we’re going to work on that. Shouldn’t be (rust.) Guess there was tonight.
“You never know with an injury like that, but it’s cool. I’m cool about it. I played tonight. I got through the game. We get ready for the Lakers.”
Harden scored 20 points before sitting out the fourth quarter, joining Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only players to score at least 20 in each of his team’s first 34 games, but he had five turnovers before sitting out as the Wizards blew the game open.
Rockets starters combined to go 5-of-29 on 3-pointers and have made 35.9 percent in the losing streak, ranking 20th in the league.
3-pointers misfire
Before their slide, Rockets starters had shot 38.6 percent from the 3-point line, seventh best, while making more with their starters than any team.
“We missed a couple shots, but … it was not just tonight,” Harden said. “It’s been going on for a couple games.
“So find our rhythm, get our groove back and things will start falling into place defensively and offensively. Obviously, Chris, it is his first game back, so he was trying to get a rhythm, but we just have not had a rhythm in these last five games. We had pretty good spurts, but just not a consistent, four-quarters game. So just have to … get back home and kind of buckle down a little bit and get Clint back and just get guys back and get a nice rhythm.”