Mar 8, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) attempts to steal the ball from Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. (10) during the first quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Willie Green's Brutally Honest Statement After Pelicans-Rockets

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated Mar 9, 2025 5:45 AM ET

While the New Orleans Pelicans are one of the worst teams in the NBA, on Saturday night against the Houston Rockets, they didn't even show up.

The Pelicans were dismantled by the Rockets, losing by a grand total of 146-117. It was a game where Houston essentially bulled New Orleans the entire time, and it's a sentiment that Pelicans head coach Willie Green would agree with.

"I mean, honestly, they just punked us all night," Green said. "Just across the board. Especially on the defensive side, the rebounding side, and transition on defense. I'm included. I'm in that too. Our approach to the game was poor."

Sometimes, teams just have bad games where they don't bring the energy necessary to win. On Saturday night, that's exactly what the Pelicans did against the Rockets.

"Tonight is a night that we didn't bring it," Green added. "This is what it was. That's what I told them. We didn't bring it. Our approach was poor. We have to make a commitment that every game we're going to step on the floor and attack, we didn't do it tonight."

Even though the shorthanded New Orleans Pelicans aren't the greatest team in the NBA, there's still a level of integrity that a professional basketball team needs to play with. Unfortunately, they didn't do that against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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