Thunder big man Steven Adams says the team remains positive as it heads into Game 5 at Houston.

Had Houston center Nene not scored 28 points and hit every shot he took from the field Sunday, we’d probably be talking about the great day that Steven Adams had.

The Thunder big man scored 18 points on 8-of10 shooting, grabbed four rebounds and swatted three shots. He scored more points in Game 4 than in the first three games of this firstround series combined.

But after a 113-109 loss, all attention has turned to Oklahoma City’s must-win game Tuesday night in Houston.

Q: What are the challenges of guarding Nene, and what the Rockets can do in the post?

A: “The tough thing is that they have so many players attacking. Obviously, our job as big (men) is to make sure you shadow off and help out. You gotta do two (jobs), man. You gotta try to play in between, make good reads in terms of if it’s an aggressive drive or if he’s balanced and looking to push. That’s what’s tough. Nene does a good job of moving around and playing within the pockets and the spots. He made a ton of shots last night.”

So, you attribute that not only to his skill but also to the other guys on the floor with him?

“He got one bucket, I think, one-on-one. But other than that, it’s really just within their system. It’s just playing between and making the reads. The other three games, they really haven’t been looking at him. That was my read, to help out more on the ball those three games.”

With what you did offensively Sunday, did you get better positions, better shots or what changed?

“Bullying them, which was good. And then, it was mainly the way they were playing. They changed up a little bit on the pick-and-roll coverages. When I caught it in the pocket, they would do a quick tag ... rather than stay in front. They would sell out on the paint. Bring a guy from the perimeter and just stay in the paint. They changed that. James did it (Sunday), a quick tag, then get out. That’s when I just took a dribble and dunked it.”

What’s the mood of the team knowing you have to win Tuesday?

“The general mood seems all good. I mean, it sucks that we lost. It’s the same as another loss, just cleaning up stuff. It’s good that the boys are still positive, as positive as you can be after a loss. Just looking to get better.”

Because you all have done such a good job defending James Harden, does that build confidence that you’re close and that you’re still in this series?

“We’re doing a good job of just collectively making them do stuff that they don’t really want to do. All the defense on Harden is just all credit to (Andre Roberson). That dude’s unbelievable, man. Just what he does is unbelievable. But in terms of confidence, we know that we’re right there. It’s just those little tiny things, a couple possessions that we could take back and the outcome may have been different.”

You all have had several hot starts in this series, then lost leads. What’s the key to maintaining those leads through the game?

“Stamina. It’s just the mental things. Locking on the game plans. All the little things that actually make it tough for them. We need to maintain those things. That’s why we come out and they find it difficult to score because we’re doing all the good things, all the little things perfectly. It just comes with fatigue, honestly. It’s just prioritizing what’s more important to stop. That’s one of the biggest keys. Physical fatigue, that’s pretty easy. Everything’s so hyped up, your adrenaline is through the roof. It’s unbelievable. It’s just the mental part that you have to slow down and make the right reads so you can just make plays.”