Q. The D-Fenders will play 8 of their final 11 regular season games on their home court at STAPLES Center. What does not having to go on the road mean to the team down the stretch?

A. "It means a lot to stay in Southern California. The schedule favors us by being at home and our guys like playing at home. We have the nice weather out here and the comfort of our own beds. We have some teams chasing us right now so it definitely means a lot.”

Q. The D-Fenders currently hold the final playoff position in the Western Division and have held that spot for the majority of the season. Does the team feel that it will be able to to hold onto that spot and control its own destiny?

D-Fenders assistant coach Chucky Brown speaks to players during a D-League tryout session. Juan Ocampo/NBAE/Getty Images

A. "We feel like the final playoff spot is ours to lose. We play Anaheim four more times and Albuquerque two more times, so we will have the opportunity to take care of business and nput a little more distance between the teams behind us. That is what we’re looking to do.”

Q. Why is it so important to win games against divisional opponents?

A. "It is important to win in the division because if there is a situation where there is a tiebreaker and we’ve beaten a divisional opponent a number of times, then the playoff spot could be ours at the end of the season. If we can take care of the teams in our division, then we should be fine.”

Q. In what areas is the team performing well and what areas are in need of improvement?

A. "We are doing a better job of passing the ball to the open guy. One thing we need to work on, however, is rebounding.
If we can rebound the ball with the ways that our perimeter
guys play, then we can win and given game."