April 13, 2014
NOTES
• With tonight’s win, Portland has clinched a Top 5 spot in the Western Conference standings for the first time since the 2008-09 season. The Trail Blazers will face the Houston Rockets in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs, but homecourt advantage is still to be determined.
• Portland’s 20-game improvement from last season (33 wins to 53) is tied for the largest increase in wins between 82-game seasons in team history (1988-89 to 1989-90).
• Portland’s 53 wins are tied for seventh-most in a season in franchise history and the most since the Trail Blazers won 54 games in 2008-09.
• The Trail Blazers have now won 30+ home games for the 19th time in the team's 44 seasons.
• The Trail Blazers improve to 12-5 this season in games at the Moda Center where they trailed at halftime.
• The Trail Blazers have recorded seven winning streaks of at least four games for the first time in franchise history.
• Portland's five overtime wins this season are tied for most in the NBA. The Trail Blazers are 10-3 in overtime over the last two seasons.
• Tonight’s overtime period featured five 3-pointers and six lead changes.
• Damian Lillard has 400 career 3-pointers (two tonight). The previous NBA record for 3-pointers in a player’s first two seasons was 322 (Klay Thompson).
• Since Nicolas Batum joined the NBA in 2008-09, only LeBron James (2008-09, 2012-13) and Batum (2013-14) have totaled 600+ rebounds, 400+ assists and 100+ 3-pointers in the same season.
• Nicolas Batum is only the third Trail Blazer to record 600+ rebounds and 400+ assists in a single season (Drexler, 1988-89; Wicks, 1972-73).
• Nicolas Batum now has as many double-doubles this season (16) as the rest of his career combined.
• Mo Williams recorded a new season high with eight field goals tonight (eight, three times).
• The Trail Blazers are now 25-7 when Mo Williams scores in double figures.
• Stephen Curry tallied the sixth 40-point game of his career. His 47 points are a season high (44, Jan. 31 at Utah) and tied for the second-most points in his career.
On Tonight's Game:
“We knew what time of game it was going to be coming in. They’re a really good team and they beat us here once. We knew that we needed this one to get the tie breaker and be able to clinch the fifth spot, so I was just happy we were able to get the win.”
On Driving With 10 Seconds Left In Overtime:
“I actually made a mistake. I kind of got confused because they weren’t fouling. There was only two seconds difference. Every time we went flat, they kept sending two people out there and I saw him keep turning his head and I just went around him, but that was a bad call on my part. I should have held out a little bit longer, but I made a mistake and we still won the game. I’ve just got to learn from it.”
On Curry:
“He had a great one. He’s a great shooter, a great playmaker, great ballhandler and once a guy like that gets it going, it’s tough to stop – especially when they’re setting screen after screen for him. All it takes it a little bit of space and that’s considered a great look for him for the caliber of the shooter he is and he got hot.”
On Thompson Getting Hot In The Second Half:
“Same – they’re probably the two best shooter in the league. Neither one of them had much space on them on many of their shots. They made tough shots. You’ve got to live with that. If they’re going to make those shots for the whole game, you’ve got to live with it.”
On This Game As Playoff Preparation:
“The game meant a lot. Both teams wanted the fifth spot it and it kind of had that type of feel. I haven’t played in the playoffs so I can’t say that it felt like a playoff game, but it definitely felt like the game meant something to both teams.”
Terry Stotts
On Tonight's Game:
“That was a terrific game. A lot of big plays on both sides, a lot of big shots. It was good to get the win and good to secure the fifth seed. It was a good game to tune up for the playoffs. A lot to be pleased about.”
On Not Fouling At The End Of Regulation:
“I didn’t do a good job of relaying what we were going to do. LA and Wes were both on the lane line and they were involved in the screen. We had a foul to give plus down three, we wanted to foul. But we didn’t relay the message very well. That being said, Draymond Green hit a hell of a shot, I mean a step back by three feet and Wes was right there, so it was a great shot, but yeah we did want to foul.”
On Defending Curry:
“Wes Matthews did a terrific job. You look at 47 points, but I thought Wes made him work for it. He hit some really tough shots throughout the game, but I thought especially in the third quarter when we got back into the game, our defense in the third quarter was pretty good.”
On Matthews' Performance:
“Wes played a terrific game. He made some big shots – his defense, I mean the stamina that it took to work as hard as he did on Steph and then to make the plays that he did on the offensive end, that was big time.”
On Matthews Defending Curry:
“Last game he did a good job on it. We kind of went into the game thinking going into the second half, but with Curry we wanted to give him different looks whether it was Dame, Wes, Mo, Nic. Just work as hard as you can. But going into the game, we felt like last game Wes did a good job on him the last five minutes of that game here, so we were probably going to follow up on that. But like I said, it takes a lot of energy to do that for the whole game.”
On Mo Williams:
“Mo, it was one of his better offensive games of the year. Obviously he shot the ball really well, he kept the tempo going with the lineup that we had as far as having a lot of spacing out there, it opened up driving lanes. He made big shots, big plays for us. He gave us a lot of momentum in both halves.”
Is A Game Like That Fun Or A Nightmare To Coach?
“It is fun. It’s a competitive environment. You’re glad to come out on the winning end of it, but when you see guys making the plays that they’re making, making the shots that they’re making, you do appreciate what’s being done out there on the floor.”
Is This Like The First Game Of The Playoffs?:
“Like I told the guys before the game, I thought this would be a great tune up for the playoffs. This was not a playoff game and it wasn’t necessarily a playoff atmosphere, but I felt like both teams really wanted the game and you were going to see a lot of effort from both teams. It’s heightened in the playoffs, but I thought this was a good preparation game for us.”
Stephen Curry
On The Last Look For Iguodala:
"I turned the corner and tried to make a read and was going pretty fast downhill and it looked like more than one defender was closing in. I turned around and he was wide open, so it was a shot we like and he's made before. It just didn't go in tonight, so no regrets on that."
On Tonight's Game:
"It was obviously high intensity, you know, guys making plays. The back and forth was just intense and we found a way to keep fighting. We got down ten in the fourth, come back and obviously [Klay Thompson] hit some big shots for us, but they made some tough shots as well and I felt like we played solid defense on some of those possessions and just good offense beats good defense. It was a great game, unfortunately we weren't on the right end of it."
On Tonight's Atmosphere Feeling Like A Playoff Game:
"Yeah, it did. This is kind of what you expect of two playoff teams preparing for that next step and I think from start to finish it definitely had that feel."
Draymond Green
On This Team And How It Stands Heading Into The Playoffs
"We did give a great effort and that's effort that we can live with. We made big shots when we needed to make big shots, but most importantly, we bared down. We needed to get stops and make runs on the defensive end and we gave great effort. It almost got us the win and I think if we can continue that effort going into the playoffs, it'll be really good for us."
On Watching Steph Curry:
"It's the same as watching Steph every night. I don't know why people continue to be so amazed by it. I'm amazed when he doesn't do that. It's just become - I'm used to seeing it. Nonetheless, it's still amazing. What I'm saying is totally contradictory, but I'm used to seeing it, but it never gets old."
On The Last Shot Of The Game:
"I think Steph made the right play at the end of regulation and overtime. He had 47 points and could have tried to get 50, but he passed the ball to me. He had 47 points and could have got 50 and passed the ball to [Andre Iguodala] and they were open plays and we live with that shot. I think Andre has hit two or three game winners this year and that shot was right on line. You know, we'll live with that shot ten times out of ten. Find the open man, make the right play and Steph did that and, like I said, we live with it."
Mark Jackson
On Tonight's Game:
"It seemed like the game was out of our hands. We got back into the game with tremendous effort from top to bottom. Disappointing loss, obviously, but there were a lot of bright spots tonight."
On The Performance Of Steph Curry And His Selflessness:
"He's a superstar basketball player and he's first team all NBA. I don't know who's voting, but the year that the guy has had has been absolutely amazing and obviously a disappointing loss, but you think about, at 47 points, he made the right play. [Draymond Green], off of his pass, gets a tough shot, makes a three and sends it into overtime. At the end of the ballgame, again, Steph Curry makes the correct play. I just love the guy and, obviously, we ended up short, a disappointing loss, but we move forward."
"He's been great all year long. Like I said, he should be first team all NBA. He's been special, he's been absolutely special."
On Andre Iguodala's Final Shot Of The Game:
"Unselfish play, great look. Anybody who doesn't want to live with it, go back to Atlanta. The ball was in Steph's hands, he made the right play and we got a great look."