A 1-5 record just six games in with James Harden, Chris Paul, James Ennis III and others missing significant time is likely not how the Houston Rockets envisioned their season starting.
Couple those players’ absences with the shooting woes of Eric Gordon — 30 percent from the field, 23 percent from three — along with reserves Gerald Green and Michael Carter-Williams, and you get a situation that is less than ideal.
“We’re not full strength,” said Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni. “(We) got to get by with blood and guts and playing harder, just being a little sharper and (focusing on) the little details we’re not doing.