HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS“It was a good way to clinch a Playoff spot. I thought we played well for most of the night. The third quarter was terrific. The ball movement for most of the night on the offensive end was very good. I thought we stayed pretty consistent defensively. Obviously, to get a win like that, it’s always nice to have.”
Did playoffs come up in the locker room after the game?“Not really. I mean, it wasn’t like it was earth shattering. Honestly, our goal was beyond just to make the playoffs. With the magic number being one, I think it was more or less inevitable that we were going to make the playoffs. So I don’t think it was necessarily a big deal. It’s nice to clinch a spot, but we’ve still got a few games to go that are important to us.”
On third quarter: “Nothing really changed. Their small lineup at the end of the first half gave us some troubles. They got out in transition and made some shots and were able to cut the lead with that lineup. We kind of anticipated that they’d go back to that lineup. The biggest thing really was, obviously we got off to a good start in the third quarter and they went to that same lineup that they finished the first half, and we handled it really well at both ends. That was probably the most important part of the game for me because the way the first half ended was concerning and we knew we were going to see that lineup again. We were able to keep RoLo on the floor and take advantage of some things at both ends.”
On ball movement tonight:“It kind of goes hand in hand – we were making shots and the ball was moving and it kind of feeds on itself, but to have 16 assists in the first half was terrific. I think we had those 16 early. You can’t always have nights like that but when the ball is moving and you’re making shots, it’s fun to watch and it’s fun to play like that.”
ARRON AFFLALO “That was exciting, the way that we came out as a group in the third quarter and locked in defensively and moved the ball well offensively and understanding the importance of tonight moving forward.”
On clinching a playoff spot:“It feels good to me. This is something to look forward to. Mentally, I just feel very engaged now and understanding what we’re playing for. We’re still in the midst of the regular season and we have some more work to do with these last eight games in terms of positioning ourselves and playing well, but it feels good to be officially in.”
On the goal looking ahead to playoffs?“The idea is just to play your best basketball. As you guys may know, the West is so strong and ups and downs of injuries may have factored into where seedings are, so it’s not like a higher seed and you’re going to be playing a lesser opponent, so the idea is just to be playing our best basketball.”
Personal perspective on clinching a spot in the playoffs:“Not just this season, but the past few seasons, trying to progress individually and not really being able to put my stamp on the real reason why you play the game which is to win championship, again I don’t want to look too far ahead, we still have nine games and some important games, but it does feel good.”
On comfort level at this point:“I’m good to go. Now it’s just a matter of using these two weeks in April to ramp it up as much as possible and get it going.”
On Wednesday’s matchup against “This is a team that as of now, we could be potentially playing and a team that we may see, so it’s a big game.”
How did third quarter compare defensively to other times since you’ve been on the team?“It was right up there. We said we wanted to come out the gate and hopefully get some stops out of the gate and we were able to do that and score at the same time, so that cushion that we seemingly had going into the half that disappeared like that, we were able to get it back.”
HEAD COACH JEFF HORNACEKOn his team’s effort:“Well I think in the first half we made a little run there, late in the second quarter with a small group out there. Prior to the we said ‘hey, we’re down by 6 at half and we’re giving them wide open three pointer (which they were making) and we’re giving them uncontested layups and not helping out’, and sometimes when teams are making threes you have a tendency to not leave those guys, and then they have a wide open lanes. We were just doing a poor job on both of those parts, and right there in the late second quarter we challenged those shots a little better, and then they were missing them and we were able to take off and get some buckets. So I thought we’d come out in the third quarter and do the same, but it was more of the way it was at the beginning, where they made threes and we couldn’t get any stops, and they had a ton of points in the first five or six minutes… I think at one timeout it was 17 to 4 or 20 to 4 or something like that. They’re a good team, and they shot the ball well, and if you don’t get stops you can’t beat them.”
On team’s perimeter defense in the third quarter:“It was a variety of things… some of them were they just did a little weave and handed it off and the guy just pulled up and shot. You’ve got to fight a little harder through that stuff. Other ones we ran around and kind of did a wild double team at one point, I think and then they kick it around… These guys have been in the playoffs, they’ve won in the playoffs… There’s many, many times teams try two double Aldridge or Lillard and they know where the guys are and they pass the ball.”
On the pride his team showed:“It’s kind of been our story the last bunch of games, we have spurts… We got down by 20, I think in the beginning and they could’ve quit, but they didn’t. They cut it to 5 at half, but then in the third quarter they just got blitzed again. It’s not like they weren’t trying, they just weren’t doing it very well, I guess.”
ERIC BLEDSOEOn the game:“We played hard, but they’re a good team at the end of the day. That’s why they’re in the position they’re in right now. We’re trying to fight for a higher seed and we’re just trying to finish of the season strong.”
On the Blazers:“They came out and made six straight shots and we had nothing to capitalize off. They played great on defense. They got pretty much anything they wanted on offense.”
On back-to-back games being a factor of their loss:“I wouldn’t say that. They play, just like we play, and unfortunately we didn’t come out with a win. We had a tough game last night…”
MARCUS MORRISOn the Trail Blazers:“They’re a good team. They came out strong, played well and played like a team.”
On the difference in the third quarter:“Our energy level was so slow, but they made a lot of shots. They came out, they made a lot of spurts, a lot of threes. Every time you make four or five threes in a row in an arena like this, it’s tough to catch up.”
On back-to-back games being a factor of their loss:“There are no excuses. We’re not the only team that played back-to-back. We’re not the only team who played fluid and played in the game the next night…I got to give them a lot of credit. They were able to run from us and they won. They’re a good team.”