 
BRANDON RUSHRookie continued his late-season surge with a career-high 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting, including 2-of-4 from the 3-point line, adding four rebounds, two assists, a steal and a blocked shot. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Pacers return home for the second game of a back-to-back set Sunday against the Washington Wizards (7 p.m., Fox Sports Indiana, 1070 The Fan). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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March 28, 2009 at Chicago
Bulls 112, Pacers 106
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“I thought we played great defense in the 4th quarter coming back from 10 down to tie it up. They we played a great possession and had Johnny Salmons hit one at the shot clock buzzer. That was really the difference in the game. I thought our guys really competed. It was a very hard fought game on both teams part. Tyrus Thomas, with 7 blocked shots, had a major impact on the game down the stretch. We did everything we could, we just came up short.”
(On Granger's shot at the end:) “Whatever he could get, if the 3 was open, great. He drove the basketball, thought he had a lay-up, Thomas blocked it.”
(On Brandon Rush:) “He was great. Brandon has been playing with a lot of confidence. We hope this uptick that he is on, that he never looks back and continues to grow his game. He played really well, like the lottery pick that he is. He played both ends of the court. He's played consistently well defensively for us this year, but seems to get too concerned about when his shots aren't falling. That's something that he's outgrowing. He had a brilliant game. He was terrific.”
(On the Bulls trade:) “I thought the trade that the Bulls orchestrated to get Brad Miller and John Salmons was the best trade of the year. My hat is off to John Paxson. They got Miller, who can space the court on pick-and-rolls and he's a good passer. Johnny Salmons, I had him in Philadelphia and he's playing great basketball. He hits big shots. He hit two three pointers at the shot clock buzzer. Over the last 10 games, he's there leading scorer. That trade, for what they gave up, was just fantastic.”
(On John Salmons:) “I liked John a lot in Philadelphia, but he has grown his game and confidence magnificently over the last several years. Certainly, he had a great couple of years scoring-wise in Sacramento but now he's on a playoff team and he's shown he's a starter in this league and can do some big things. I'm happy for him. He's a good kid.”
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(On his first quarter performance) “My teammates were finding me, I was making some shots, and I was taking it to the hole. It allowed me to play my time of game.”
(On defending John Salmons) “Salmons definitely hit some big shots. I was able to get my hand up and in his face but he definitely knocked down some tough shots.”
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(On Tyrus Thomas's block on his layup late in the game) “I beat the first guy but he made a great play. That was pretty much the game. I knew I had to get it up there quickly but he just made a great play. He's a good defensive player. Obviously he's a great athlete and he can create a lot of havoc out there.”
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(On Tyrus Thomas) “He blocks shots, he rebounds, and when he gets open looks he makes shots. He's definitely improved.”
(On finishing out the season) “We just want to come out and continue to play as hard as we can. We are still going to work and compete because we still have a lot of fans out there who continue to support us. This isn't the time you just stop playing.”
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“Another good home win for us. I thought we were a little sluggish in the 1st half. Give Indiana credit, they came out attacking us. We did not handle some of their pick and rolls and schemes very well. In the 2nd half, we picked it up and I liked our energy. Kirk came in and gave us another boost as well as Brad, which is a real positive. We talked about some things at halftime and we had a nice push in the 3rd quarter. We had some turnovers and let Indiana back in it. I liked our play down the stretch.”
(On Salmons hitting two 3 point shots at the end:) “That was big. He has been playing well for us. When he is out there with Ben, other teams have to watch the perimeter. John stepped up and made some big 3's and I thought it was a good team effort. We had 23 assists, but we turned it over a little too much in the 1st half. We got a little better control of it in the 12nd half. Indiana plays us tough. They keep coming at us. Granger is a tough cover. TJ Ford gives a lot of teams trouble with his penetration and Jeff Foster was big on the glass tonight. Their offensive rebounds hurt us. It is all about finding ways to win and we have been doing that. We were sluggish in the 1st half but I thought we came out with a little better demeanor in the 2 nd half.”
(On defense by Tyrus Thomas) “Danny Granger is a tough cover but Tyrus Thomas has the athleticism to block some shots. He got 7 tonight including the big block at the end of the game. With his athleticism, he can change the game. His patience on the court the last couple of weeks has been really good. He's been running the court a little bit better. When he is around the rim using his athleticism, good things usually happen. It was a team effort. Everyone has to step up.”
(Can you talk about playing well at the end of the year) “It is important for confidence and understanding what it takes to win. Good teams step up. We need to know what we are good at and what we are not. When I played on really good teams, guys knew their roles. We have to get to that. We are moving in that direction. Guys have to take responsibility and if they have tough games, it makes you sick to your stomach and it feels like you let your buddies down. Everyone has to go and do their job. You have to respect every team you play. I've said it for a while, I like our demeanor and our approach. When you bring energy, the rest of the things usually take care of themselves.”
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(On Bulls playing their best basketball right now:) “Hopefully we cannot stay at this level but will take it to a higher level. We need to play consistent.”
(On his blocks) “Some of them get the crowd going, some of them gave us another possession and some took Indiana out of their flow. We are playing good but I don't think we are playing at our best. We can be more active. We just have to come out to a fast start, play hard and then good things will happen.”
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(On the win) “We did a good job of keeping our poise even when they made their runs. We weathered the storm and kept going and got a big win.”
(On other guys taking big shots) “It's a lot of fun being out there with other guys who are making big plays and are taking the tough shots. It's always fun when you are playing good basketball and you are winning.”
