“I thought it was a total team effort. You look at the stat sheet, we had 30 assists. We outrebounded them, held them to 41 percent shooting, so the defense was solid for 48 minutes I thought vs. how we played last night. I just thought it was a total team effort. Our bench came in and gave us a wonderful lift in terms of keeping our lead and stretching it. It’s just kind of nice to see. We scored a lot of points, and were also able to do a lot of things from a defensive standpoint.”
“To know your team can bounce back after a miserable game the night before shows you have a team that has grown some in a lot of ways. And we’re playing for something too. We think we’re one of the best teams in the East, and we have to play like it every time we step out on the floor. Expectations this year are higher.”
JAMAL CRAWFORD
(On the energy he brings off the bench): “It’s kind of cool sitting there now. I get a chance to figure out how I can help the team, whether that’s coming off setting people up or coming off being aggressive and scoring. You kind of get a chance to watch the game, see the tempo, see the rhythm and try to come in after that.”
(On beating Denver after losing to Charlotte last night): “It’s big, more mentally than anything else. We had a tough loss against Charlotte last night, and we beat a tough Denver team. We didn’t lay down, and we fought. From start to finish, I thought we were really good as a team. It was a great team effort.”
JOSH SMITH
(On beating Denver tonight after a tough loss last night to Charlotte): “It’s a big statement. Having a letdown loss last night, and being able to come in and beat the number two or three team last year in the Western Conference, that’s a big boost of confidence. It just shows that we don’t dwell on losses, and we look forward to the next game.”
“We need an “A” game from a lot of our guys and we didn’t get it tonight. I think we had a lot of good stretches, but just couldn’t put it together consistently. Chauncey (Billups) and Carmelo (Anthony) tried to carry us as much as they could, but we needed more from everyone.”
“They were knocking down shots, and rotating very well. We also had some untimely turnovers that turned into baskets on the other end. You have to give Atlanta credit, they were very prepared.”