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Pelicans-Spurs Postgame: Locker Room Quotes 11/20/15

Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry:

On tonight’s win:
"It’s our best game, by far. It’s the first kind of complete game we’ve played this season where I thought we were aggressive from the start. I thought we made good decisions. I thought we played at a pace that we like to play at. All of those things were really good. I told the guys this is something we have to try to build on though; we don’t need to take a step backwards either. We have to keep trying to take a step forward. To have AD (Anthony Davis) back [is great] and Ryan Anderson is probably playing as well as anybody in the league right now, he’s done a good job. It’s not just his shot-making. He’s playing with force and he’s been good defensively so he’s been good in all of those areas for us."

On securing the lead and ultimately the win in the fourth quarter:
"I thought Ish (Smith) did a great job of pushing the basketball and finding the right people. He did a good job of making good decisions. I thought it was a good team effort. I thought we did a good job of executing down the stretch when we needed to, more so defensively than we did offensively. I think it was great that during the timeout, (assistant coach) Robert Pack said, ‘Look, we’ve got enough points to win so it’s up to us now to come up with stops.’ That’s what we did. We came up with stops. "

On the early lead taken by the Spurs:
"I just took an early timeout. We had gotten a couple of really good shots that hadn’t gone [in] and I just told them that just like anything, it’s a really long game and we just have to settle down, try to execute and do what we’re supposed to do. I thought we settled down and did a good job."

Pelicans Forward Ryan Anderson:

On the biggest difference in the game:
"First off, it starts on the defensive end. We made a lot of great transition plays and that gave a chance for Ish and Jrue to create something for themselves. This was the biggest difference in the game because when Ish can get an opportunity to play in the open court, we are dangerous."

On his shooting:
“We saw last game against the Thunder where we brought some effort, but came up a little short. We need to continue to bring that type effort each game and it will eventually show like tonight. We were able to feed off of the crowd and came away with a win against a good team.”

On how much this game means to this team:
“Well I don’t get a lot of open attempts, but I was able to get more looks tonight. Teams usually scout and take away certain things. For me, this is something they try and take away. Even on games that I’m not shooting well, I just need to keep being aggressive and the shots will eventually fall.”

Pelicans Forward Anthony Davis:

On the impressive showing tonight:
"We did a great job defensively as a team. We started off a little slow, but basketball is a game of runs. We knew that we were going to go on a run, so we have to keep playing. Ryan and Ish did a great job and made an impact in the outcome. This is what we need from Ryan and Ish each night."

On blocking LaMarcus Aldridge’s shot in the 4th quarter:
"Basketball is a game of plays. Certain plays each game can make a difference. Before he shot the ball, I felt I was in good position to block it. Even if I did, I would have forced a quick shot. These plays can fire up the crowd and change the outcome of games."