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Pelicans-Rockets postgame: Quotes from the locker room

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

Pelicans Coach Alvin Gentry:

On a one-point loss coming down to the final play:

“That’s the tough part about it. We needed one timeout to try to get a little bit organized, but we had to use two (timeouts) early on and that kind of cost us. At the end of the day, I thought we played as hard as we possibly could. Had a couple of breaks where we just didn’t get it in the basket. We’re right there. You just have to give them credit. They made big shots when they had to. (James) Harden’s (shot) was big. When they needed that big basket, they got it from their star player. ”

On Anthony Davis:

“Concussion like symptoms, so I’m sure he’ll just go through the protocol and we’ll find out later on exactly what the situation is.”

On missed free throws being a factor in the loss:

“Our guys in the locker said the same thing. We’re one of the best free throw shooting teams in the league. As a matter of fact, I think we’re second behind Dallas (Mavericks) who is shooting 82 percent and we’re shooting 81 percent. For some reason, we walked to the line and just didn’t knock them down tonight. That was definitely a factor. We ended up missing 11 free throws and that’s not something that we would do in any game.”

Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson:

On playing from behind starting the second half:

“Obviously we do not want to play from behind, but I thought a lot of guys stepped up especially with Anthony (Davis) going down. Tony (Douglas) played great, and Jrue (Holiday) played great. We played good defense, but they were just hitting shots.”

On the second unit stepping up:

“We view our second unit as a starting unit as well. We have guys that can start and can contribute every night. So, you see a performance like Jrue’s (Holiday) and that really isn’t a big surprise to anyone. We are a confident group. We want to get the team going, and when there is a deficit we need to get the team going.”

Pelicans guard Toney Douglas:

On playing well without Anthony (Davis) for most of the game:

“We had guys really step up tonight. Obviously, we had to because Anthony (Davis) went down. We just have to continue to plug away and play hard.”

On the 11 missed free throws:

“Yeah that really did hurt us. We missed a lot of easy shot around the goal. We just have to stick to the system. We don’t see this as a step back. We’re going to continue to move forward.” 

Rockets Interim Coach J.B. Bickerstaff

On the last play of the game:

“The clock differential was about 4.3 seconds. We wanted to get it up on the rim and at least give it an opportunity to bounce, deflection or rebound. Hopefully its one long heave or we get the offensive rebound. Jrue Holiday is a heck of a defender and James (Harden) had to take a difficult shot and we didn’t get it on the glass. They got an opportunity to get a look. Obviously it was going to be a tough look, but Pat (Beverley) did a good job on the ensuing play. Josh (Smith) was up there helping on the ball and forced them into a tough shot.”

On the play of Jrue Holiday:

“I think Jrue’s a stud. He’s one of the elite two-way players in our league. He doesn’t get a lot of fanfare for whatever reason. Obviously the injuries have hurt him from that standpoint. But how many guys at 6-4 can do the things that he can do? He was an All-Star for a reason. That wasn’t an accident. He can guard multiple positions and score with the basketball. He’s a heck of a player. This team has a lot of talent. Obviously, health is so important for any team, but Jrue’s an unbelievable player.”

Rockets forward Trevor Ariza

On his play the last couple games:

“I’m just making shots. I don’t think I am really doing anything different. Sometimes the motion or flow of the game changes and that allows me to get more opportunities to shoot. I’m just making shots.”

On opponents defending him:

“When shooting the ball well, I’m getting more opportunities to create for myself when driving to the basket. The defense has to close out hard and that gives me more opportunities to make plays for myself and others.”

Rockets guard James Harden

On Patrick (Beverley) three late in the game:

“He was open. He was open no matter how much time was left. It was the right play and he made the shot. That goes a long way with your teammates.”

On shooting rhythm:

“The good part about it was that guys were making shots. When the floor is spread out, there is more room to create for yourself. Trevor and Pat shot well. That helped me move to areas of the floor that had space.”