Wizards Head Coach Randy Wittman
On the win
“There was a stretch in the first half where we had five stops in a row and scored on all five positions going down which created the lead for us. We were a little sloppy coming down the stretch, but it was a real solid effort. Multiple guys stepped up at different times which was good to see.”
On rebounding
“Rebounding was the big key tonight. We were able to control the boards. When we can control the boards that means we are playing decent defense and not getting broken down.”
Wizards Guard Bradley Beal
On what stood out about the Wizards’ performance
“Our aggressiveness on both ends of the floor. I think we made a lot of shots on offense. This is a great defensive team and a very long and athletic team, as well. I think we did a great job moving the ball on offense. And on defense we did a great job of sticking to our concepts. A lot of guys made a lot of shots, but we didn’t let that discourage us. We bared down and limited them to one shot per possession and defense is what won us the game.”
On the performance of teammate Jan Vessely
“Jan’s terrific. He’s definitely our most athletic big, and he brings a lot of energy. He runs the floor which creates open shots for us on the offensive end. Whenever he’s playing the way he’s capable of playing, we’re a great team.”
Wizards Forward Trevor Ariza
On returning to New Orleans
“It feels good to come back here and play well. This city was good to me, I enjoyed playing here. But more so, I’m just happy to get out of the funk that I was in. That was the biggest part, just making shots and getting ready to go to Indiana. It’s big for our team confidence and my confidence in myself.”
On the meaning of holding on for the victory after having a big lead cut toward the end of the game
“It shows a lot. It shows how much we have grown. I remember earlier in the year we were up 10 with two minutes to go and we lost. This was big for our team tonight.”