Rockets frustrated, sad, angry after 20th consecutive loss: 'We're not playing together'

On paper, Sunday's game was the ideal spot for the Houston Rockets to end their franchise-record losing streak. They were at home, their desired starting lineup was fully available and the Oklahoma City Thunder held out three starters in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Al Horford and Darius Bazley.

Yet, it still wasn't enough to stop the skid, with Houston (11-30) losing its 20th consecutive game with a 114-112 setback. The streak is now among the 10 worst in NBA history.

Christian Wood (27 points, eight rebounds), John Wall (24 points, seven assists), Victor Oladipo (23 points, six assists), and Danuel House Jr. (18 points, eight rebounds) all played well offensively, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 52-38 rebounding advantage by the Thunder (18-24).

Much of the Rockets' frustration came down to a lack of execution late in the game. Down by two with just over a minute left, Wall drove into the paint and drew a foul, but only made one of two free throws, allowing Oklahoma City to keep the lead. From there, the Rockets never scored again. In the final minute, Oladipo missed a rushed 3-pointer in transition, Wall had a driving layup blocked by Lu Dort, and Wall missed an isolation 3 in the closing seconds after apparently going away from coach Stephen Silas' desired play. Each of those shots would have given Houston the lead.

Wood only took one shot in the game's final eight minutes, and he expressed frustration postgame at his lack of involvement late. "We're not playing together," said Wood. "I would like to be more involved in the offense going down the stretch."

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Here's a sampling of the postgame reaction from a series of somber press conferences. Houston returns to action on Monday against the Toronto Raptors.