Willie Green Questions Effort of Pelicans Players After 8th Straight Loss vs. Thunder

New Orleans Pelicans head coach Willie Green lamented his team's effort in a 108-100 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night, which extended their losing streak to eight.

Green, who's in his first year coaching the Pelicans, told reporters he wasn't happy with the team as their record fell to an NBA-worst 1-11:

"It's not the losing streak. It's not one quarter. It's our approach to this game. There were moments in the game where we just didn't have guys who didn't compete hard enough for me. Hard enough for our team. That's a non-negotiable for me. That's the deal. That's who we are. As the leader of this team, I can't have that. I can't have guys on the floor if they aren't going to give 110 percent."

The Pelicans' record carries an asterisk since they've played the entire season without 2019 first overall pick Zion Williamson and the past six games without 2020 All-Star Brandon Ingram.

Regardless, the losses are piling up quickly for New Orleans, and it appeared the frustration was mounting against OKC as it racked up five technical fouls by four different players. Josh Hart was ejected following two technicals for arguing a call late in the second quarter.

Green said his players can't expect to get every call and must respond differently than they did:

"Our guys thought they got fouled, and we didn't get the call. But we aren't going to get those calls. We haven't earned them. So what are we complaining about? Until we earn it, we're not gonna get that. That's the deal. I talked to our guys about it. We have to keep our composure. Our margin for error is too small to do what we did tonight."

The 40-year-old former NBA guard explained his message in practice Thursday will be, "We're better than this."

New Orleans will be a far more competitive team when Ingram and Williamson return, but the margin for error in terms of making a charge toward a playoff berth is already diminishing rapidly.

The schedule doesn't do the Pelicans any favors either as 11 of their next 13 games come against teams with a winning record.

Next up is a home game against the Brooklyn Nets (8-4) on Friday night.