(On the game tonight): “Defensively we played much better. Offensively, we did some good things moving the ball but we got stagnant towards the end. Overall I am happy with the win, obviously, but still some big mistakes down at the end. (Singleton) got the three point play at the end. Dion didn’t switch when he should’ve…It wasn’t a clear game, obviously, from the first to the fourth quarter, but the bottom line is we got the W.”
(On the starting lineup): “They didn’t want to play, so I took them out. Simple as that. I was going to do the same thing in the third quarter. Like I said, it normally happens in the third quarter, but we haven’t gotten off to great starts in the first quarter. I just got to the point where patience is wearing thin, tired of what I was seeing, so I made changes...I think I made my point. So, I figured in the third quarter if they didn’t come out again I would take them out again and I am going to do that for the rest of the season. ”
(On the second unit): “I thought our second unit, when I put them in, gave us a real big shot in the arm and I thought pretty much from that point on we played with some pretty good energy and the effort was good. I mean we held them to 40 percent from the field, outrebounded them and our turnovers were down. So, we had a lot of good things.”
(On playing without Kyrie): “We have played four games in the last couple of weeks without him. We won two of those first three; I think our guys feel like we can still win, we just got to do the little extras on both ends. So, this being the first one, I think it doesn’t really matter because we have had three prior to this. So we have a pretty good feel on how we have to play when Kyrie is not here and like I said it’s not one guy, Shaun is not the guy that is going to pick up all the things that Kyrie does for us. It’s got to be done by a committee.”
(On Coach Scott taking the starters out early in the game): “Coach Scott did the right thing. We talked about it against Toronto, how we have to be men and come out and fight. The first unit in the first few minutes came out with no intensity and no life. Coach did a great thing by pulling us out and it kind of reminded me of when I was playing in college; you don’t play hard, coach sits you out. It was good that coach did that and it definitely woke up the starters.”
(On if Coach Scott said something to get the first unit going): “There was nothing to say. You know when you’re not playing well and you know when you’re not competing. He pulled us out and that woke us up. We got back in the game late in the third and we came out with the intensity.”
(On having a solid third quarter tonight): “We’ve been talking about it all year, the third quarter being our Achilles’ heel and not coming out with a sense of urgency and no life. We know that if we don’t come out and compete, the same thing will happen like in the first quarter tonight.”
(On Coach Scott taking the starters out early in the game): “I was very upset. We came out really flat with no energy. I respect what (Coach Scott) did. At the same time, I was mad but when I got back in the game, I knew what to do.”
(On what the difference was tonight in the third quarter): “The energy. In Toronto, we came out flat and unorganized. We talked about it and we saw film and it was bad. Everyone had a bad taste in their mouth and we didn’t want that feeling again.”
(On the game): “We stopped running. For whatever reason, we’ve been doing this quite a bit. After misses, we walk the ball up and we don’t run.”
(On the first quarter): “First quarter we ran, moved the ball, passed (and made) wide open shots. Then we just didn’t stay with that and we’re not a team that wants to walk the ball up or can walk the ball up, especially on misses.”
(On the team’s transition offense): “We won’t run in transition and in the second and third quarter, it cost us. We got outscored 24 or 26 in two quarters. We scored 16 apiece (in the second and third quarter) because we won’t throw the ball ahead and attack in transition, which we did in the first quarter.”
(On what the team did well in the first quarter): “When we helped, we found the wide open shot and forced the ball to the basket.”
(On the Cavs offensive rebound late in the game): “You know the game and you have to understand everybody’s effort. You can’t just allow that to beat you. It’s a competitive game and both teams wanted the rebound.”
(On losing to the Cavs three times this season): “Until you understand how to guard them, you have to play physical. (Otherwise), they’re going to have the advantage. We lost games like that because we gave up penetration to shooters and whatever they wanted.”
CAVALIERS NOTES:
• With the victory, the Cavaliers improve to 10-2 in their last 12 matchups with the Wizards at Quicken Loans Arena. The Cavs swept the season series 3-0. The last time Cleveland went undefeated against Washington in the regular season was 1991-92 (4-0). The Cavaliers are 10-4 in their last 14 contests versus Eastern Conference opponents, including 7-1 at The Q.
• Cleveland dished out 24 assists and had just 11 turnovers. Over the last 17 games, the Cavs are averaging 23.2 assists to 12.2 turnovers.
• The Cavs bench outscored the Wizards reserves 29-11. Since February 1st, Cleveland’s reserves are averaging 38.7 points per game.
• Dion Waiters recorded a team-high 20 points, a career-high tying six rebounds, three assists and one steal in 29 minutes. Waiters has 13 20-plus point games and is averaging 19.3 points and 3.0 assists in 29.9 minutes per game over his last seven contests.
• Tristan Thompson tallied his fourth consecutive double-double (24th of the season) with 13 points on 5-8 (.625) shooting from the field, a game-high 14 rebounds, three assists and one block in 36 minutes. Over his last 38 games, Thompson recorded 19 double-doubles and is averaging 13.5 points on .502 shooting, 10.5 rebounds and 1.0 block in 32.8 minutes per game.
• In his fourth start as a Cavalier, Shaun Livingston recorded 12 points on 6-9 (.667) shooting from the field, six assists, one steal and one block in 31 minutes. He has scored in double figures in all four of those starts and is averaging 13.0 points on .556 shooting, 2.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 32.8 minutes over that span.
• Alonzo Gee finished with 17 points, including connecting on 4-9 (.444) three-pointers, and three assists in 32 minutes. Gee has recorded double figures in four of his last five games and is averaging 11.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 30.6 minutes per game during that stretch.
• C.J. Miles tallied 10 points, three rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes. Miles has scored in double figures in 11 of his last 12 contests and is averaging 12.5 points, including shooting .438 (28-64) from behind the arc, 3.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 20.5 minutes per game.
• Wayne Ellington added 12 points and three rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.