Melbourne United coach Dean Demopoulos admits his team got an "old-fashioned ass kicking" in their 113-83 loss to the Perth Wildcats, but he's not hitting the panic button just yet.
United were the hot title favourites after opening their NBL season with a 9-0 run.
But five losses from their past seven games have cast serious doubts about their Championship credentials, with their heavy defeat to the Wildcats exposing serious flaws.
Wildcats import Jermaine Beal was the hero in Thursday night's win at Perth Arena, nailing a club-record 10 three-pointers on the way to a 40-point haul.
Melbourne's slack defending came back to haunt them, while star guard Chris Goulding was held to just 13 points in the club's poorest showing of the season.
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Demopoulos said he was "hurt, angry, upset, and pissed off" after the heavy defeat.
But he's adamant his team can bounce back to form in the near future.
"That was an old-fashioned ass kicking. Plain and simple. There's not a whole lot left to say about it," Demopoulos said.
"(The Wildcats are) a rough tough group, and we didn't stand up to make a fist. That's what happens.
"There are no positives.
"We didn't defend well and we turned the ball over. You could play any team and the outcome's not going to be very good if you do those two things.
"We won't change very much. We'll go back and do what we have been doing, and try to do it better."
When asked what his message was to the critics who may think the wheels have fallen off the team's title quest, Demopoulos replied: "I very rarely pay attention to the peripheral unless I'm forced to.
"You have your little cocoon, your little business family. They're the only people I listen to when it comes to this. So we'll regroup."
Despite the recent run of losses, Melbourne (11-5) remain equal on wins with the ladder-leading Wildcats.
Goulding said it was imperative for the team not to dwell on Thursday night's embarrassing loss ahead of next Wednesday's clash with the Sydney Kings at Hisense Arena.
"If we sit with our tail between our legs worrying about this for the next three, four, five days, that's disrespectful to the team we're playing next," Goulding said.
"We have to switch our attention to how we fix the things we did wrong in this game."
Wildcats centre Matt Knight injured his left shoulder during the third quarter, but coach Trevor Gleeson said the 30-year-old would be fine for Sunday's clash with the Kings in Sydney.
Beal's 10 three-pointers eclipsed the previous club record of eight, which was set by Ricky Grace, Anthony Stewart, and Mike Ellis.
