The road to reconstruction encounters its first setback. The Trail Blazers locker room looks for answers behind closed doors.

At the Toyota Center in Houston, the post-game locker room on Friday night was supposed to be open to the public after a 20-minute cooling-off period, but something unusual happened—the door to the Trail Blazers locker room remained closed.

After losing to the surging Rockets 116-140 for the first time in the season, the Blazers felt it was time to hold an internal meeting.

"Sometimes, " Avdija said, "We have to communicate face to face. We are like a family, and family members should talk to each other. "

What's more, they really have too much to sort out. In front of a sold-out crowd of 18,055, the Rockets defeated the Trail Blazers on every level. Acting coach Thiago Split admitted that this was the first time this season that their opponents had overwhelmed them in terms of effort.

Durant, Shen Jing and Jabari Smith Jr. took turns destroying the Blazers' defense. The always sharp fast break only scored 9 points, and 20 turnovers gave away 30 points to the opponent; the defense was riddled with holes, allowing the Rockets to grab 20 offensive rebounds, score 23 fast break points, and lead by up to 30 points.

But compared to the cold technical statistics, what the players care about more is the abnormality in the game.

"This is the first time we have been completely beaten, " Holiday said frankly, "Today the whole team just couldn't find the rhythm. This strange feeling needs to be talked about. "

Jerami Grant was the first to speak, and then Kamara, Sissoko and Love also spoke one after another. Although everyone has a different perspective, the consensus is clear: the more difficult the moment, the more unity is needed.

"The long journey has just begun, " Kamara said from his heart. "The important thing is to recognize right from wrong and maintain communication. It is easiest to get lost between victory and defeat, and we need to talk face to face. After all, everyone has their own lives after leaving the court, but every decision related to the locker room should reach a consensus here. "

This is the third loss in the past four games for the rebuilding Trail Blazers. At the beginning of the season, they defeated strong teams such as the Warriors and Nuggets, pushing the Timberwolves into dire straits, and only narrowly lost to the Heat and Magic. Until Friday night, they had never suffered a double-digit rout.

Grant believes that communication is at the right time: "I just want to unify my thoughts and prevent a defeat from turning into a chain reaction."

There are objective reasons in the locker room: three rotation players are injured, and they have traveled to five away games in 11 consecutive days. The Rockets have recently won eight out of nine games and are the hottest team in the West. But when that door finally opens, players prefer to focus on the future.

"No one is downcast, " Kamara said firmly, "Our performance this season is remarkable. As long as we stick to our tactical beliefs and trust each other, everything will be fine. "

When asked how to test the effectiveness of the meeting, Grant grinned:

"We will play the Mavericks away from home on Monday, and we must win, no matter what the process is. "