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Pelicans-Knicks postgame: Quotes from the locker room

Pelicans.com
Vice president of digital media for New Orleans Pelicans.

Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry:

 On the win:

“It was great. The guys really did play hard and competed all the way through so everyone we stuck in there, we just tried to find a way to scratch one out and I thought they did a great job. The Knicks have been playing really good basketball and had two great wins over Chicago (Bulls) so it was a good hard-nosed win for us. A good team win.”

On improved performance from the first half to the second half:

“We played great in the second half. Defensively, we gave up 37 points in the second half. Ten points in the third quarter so I thought we really locked in and did a good job. Did a good job on Carmelo (Anthony.) Melo (Carmelo Anthony) is going to make shots that it doesn’t matter how you play him, you know, they’re going to go in, but I thought, for the most part, 22 points on 22 shots, we’ll take that any day against him because he’s such a great efficient offensive player. I just thought we played hard. We weren’t going to lose. We were just going to find a way to win. I thought the guys did a great job. It was a good team win. I don’t think anybody just stood out by themselves. Obviously, Jrue (Holiday) was really good, but I thought there were other moments for everyone that kind of helped us get over the hump.”

On injuries:

“I am going to send out an all-points bulletin to anybody in the French Quarter or anywhere else; we need a Voodoo doctor or something here. We’ve got to find the bones under this place or do something because this is becoming comical. Jrue (Holiday) goes out, we’re not sure what the injury is there. They’re going to have to take a look at his orbital socket and then Alonzo’s (Gee) got the calf or the something that was strained. And then I saw Dante walking out and it’s frightening because we needed to add another ball-handler in the game and I looked down the bench and we had Omer (Asik), Perk (Kendrick Perkins) and Alexis (Ajinca.) I didn’t really feel comfortable with them as the ball-handler in the game so I don’t know. I think you’ve got to laugh at it. I don’t know what more you can do. We now have over 100 points a game sitting out so if we score seven the next game, just understand that.”

Pelicans forward Dante Cunningham:

On his thoughts about the kid running on the court:

“It honestly startled me, it really did because I stepped up to clean my shoes and I was ready to lock in on Carmelo and all of a sudden I kicked something and looked down and there’s literally a little kid and I looked at Melo like ‘is that your kid?’ I actually thought it was Kendrick Perkins’ kid because he has that same type of hair thing going on. It was cool though.”

On having Jrue back:

“Any player we get back is a plus for us now, and he’s definitely a driving force for us right now. He’s a captain and a leader so we need him, we need that down the stretch.”