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WIZARDS HEAD COACH RANDY WITTMAN
On tonight’s performance:
“I am really proud of these guys. We talked before the game about when you have a win like we did on the road against Chicago to really make that game special. You need to come home and win this game. Considering this is a team that was fighting for its playoff life, who needed this game, as well as Chicago getting their first positioning in the playoffs. I am proud of how these guys came out and really stood up to how these teams are playing. We have a couple more coming up against Miami that will obviously be important games.”
On Jordan Crawford and Nene:
“Jordan was really hurting tonight and Nene is not all the way back, but he has been fighting to come back. Those two guys that came back and fought to play every minute means a lot for the team.”
On the third quarter:
“I thought our third quarter was the big difference. It was 62-60 at the half and we talked about coming out and really getting our defense going.”
WIZARDS GUARD MORRIS ALMOND
On tonight’s performance:
“I was excited to get in, it was a big win, and I was just happy to be a part of it.”
On coming from the D-League
“Take advantage of the opportunity. You can’t predict too much in this league and you just have to let the chips fall where they may.”
WIZARDS GUARD JORDAN CRAWFORD
On his sore ankle:
“I was sore but the trainers did a great job preparing me for the game. I wanted to play.”
On Nene’s return:
“It was a real boost because nobody thought he was playing. He has been dressing but we didn’t know he was going to play until we saw him check into the game.”
On his big shot in fourth quarter:
“I felt that I could make it. I could see it had a chance and I’m happy it went down. I think we are just playing well right now. We had Nene back tonight and had a lot of great players complementing us.”
WIZARDS CENTER NENE
On his injury:
“I didn’t know if I was going to play tonight. I just tested myself on the court before the game. They beat us three times this year and I just felt like I was healthy enough to give it a go. It still hurts a little bit but this was a sweet win for us.”
On the win:
“Guys have really stepped up in my and Trevor’s (Booker) absence. We played really well and guys played together.”
WIZARDS GUARD JOHN WALL
On tonight’s win:
“I guess it feels good because we don’t have a chance at the playoffs. Seeing as though a lot of teams are trying to make it to the playoffs, we just want to go out there and play hard. We have played well the last two games and closed them out and got some wins.”
On Jordan Crawford:
“They were making a great run not turning the ball over and getting good shots, fast breaks and easy baskets. With a team like that they have two guards that were very explosive and that can score. We needed the shots that Jordan (Crawford) made those plays for us down the stretch.”
On Nene:
“It was good to have him. He is a veteran who talks to you throughout the game and will show you different things to go through. He just makes it a lot easier to cut on the floor and it’s been nice having him.”
WIZARDS GUARD MAURICE EVANS
On the win:
“This was a good win for us tonight. Being able to get back-to-back wins is critical in any season. The inconsistency with being a young team has got the best of us this season so far. Winning one game and then losing the following three can be an obstacle in itself. With a young team, being able to overcome those obstacles and beat two quality opponents back-to-back just shows growth. I tip my hat to my teammates.”
On Jordan Crawford:
“Jordan (Crawford) has been big for us. He has a gift of being able to put the ball in the basket. I think the ankle injury helped him because as of late he has slowed down and taken his time. This has allowed him to see the court better and utilize all the skills he has. He was extremely effective tonight and he hit some big shots for us tonight. In particular, the late three-pointer that extended the lead down the stretch.”
BUCKS HEAD COACH SCOTT SKILES
On the game:
“They deserved to win. They played harder than us, they played better than us. We tried to give ourselves an opportunity there late, but we just had tremendous difficulty all night long controlling the penetration. They have some talented offensive players and they took it to us.”
On Nene:
“I thought Nene did a nice job. He hit a couple jumpers and it didn’t seem like we acknowledged that. We just kept playing off of him instead of crowding him.”
On the Bucks’ play tonight:
“It was the wrong time to have a bad night. We didn’t have a good night. We didn’t have a high-energy game. Our defense hasn’t been good but it hasn’t been this bad. They stung us.”
On tomorrow’s matchup with the Pacers:
“Tomorrow is an absolute must win for us. We have to find a way to get that game.”
On Jordan Crawford:
“He (Jordan Crawford) got into the game early and kind of took it to us. Then he started knocking down the jumper. He is a high-level offensive player.”
BUCKS GUARD MONTA ELLIS
On the game:
“It was pretty much back-to-back trading baskets the whole game. There was a stretch where they made shots and we missed shots. We couldn’t recover from it. We didn’t play our basketball tonight. They hit us. They hit us hard and we knew that it was going to be a dogfight. We dug ourselves into a hole we couldn’t get out of.”
On Nene:
“He (Nene) played well. He made a lot of shots at the end. He had a couple of blocks as well so he was great down the stretch for them. Hats off to them. They were the better team tonight.”
BUCKS CENTER DREW GOODEN
On the game:
“We handled our business on the glass. Monta (Ellis) had 31, Brandon (Jennings) had 25, I had 21, Ersan (Ilyasova) had 14 so we scored the ball. We just couldn’t get the stops down the stretch that we needed. We pulled in close but we had dug ourselves too big of a hole.”
On the Wizards:
“You have to credit their guards. They had good guard play. Nene did a good job in his limited minutes of giving them a scoring punch as well.”
On the playoff race:
“It’s tough. It’s tough to be in this position and it’s tough to lose games against teams that aren’t in the race for the playoffs. But we can’t say this is the most disappointing loss of the season because it shouldn’t have down to this game or the next game. We just have to move on. We’re back in the situation we were a few days ago and we just have to keep fighting.”
BUCKS GUARD BRANDON JENNINGS
On Nene and Jordan Crawford:
“He (Nene) picked it up in the second half. (Jordan) Crawford did a lot of the scoring for them tonight. They just had way more energy than us on both ends.”
On the Wizards’ play tonight:
“I guess just going out with pride. That’s what they’re playing with. Even though their season is over, they’re still playing for their pride.”
On tomorrow’s matchup with the Pacers:
“It’s going to be tough. It’s not going to be easy. We’re playing against a team that beat us twice. We have to come with a lot of energy and just play that game like it’s our last.”
On the Wizards’ shooting:
“We just weren’t able to get a stop. They kept getting bucket. I think that was the main thing. They shot the ball well tonight. Like I said, they just had more energy than us.”
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