Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry:
On the second half:
“I thought we were hanging in. This is a real talented team and the jump shots that [Kevin] Durant made didn’t bother me that much because he does that against everyone. I just thought we had too many breakdowns defensively as far as Russell [Westbrook] getting to the basket and things like that. Then in the second half they got into us and we did not execute and it’s not that we turned the ball over… this team is the kind of team that when they get on a roll they are really hard to guard. I thought that [Enes] Kanter came in and kind of changed the whole game. Obviously, Durant and Westbrook played great, but I thought Kanter came in and the offensive rebounding and just his presence there was really tough offensively.”
On Oklahoma City dominating the rebounds:
“We couldn’t get our hand on it. The offensive rebounding really hurt us tonight.”
On needing Ryan Anderson out there tonight to help score:
“Obviously with this team, their ability to get out and run and get in the open court and the talent and the size that they play with is going to be very difficult. This team is playing extremely well. I know they had a tough loss against Golden State, but in general I think they are playing really good basketball and obviously are going to be a huge factor.”
On how much tougher Oklahoma City is when Russell Westbrook is passing first:
“He is a great player and he can be a factor as a passer, he can be a factor as a shooter or finisher. He’s just a really talented guy, probably the best athlete in pro sports and when I say that, I mean pro sports. Not just basketball. When you look at it from that standpoint, he is always going to have a huge impact.”
Pelicans Forward Anthony Davis:
On playing basketball after tragedy:
“We’ve got to go out there and still compete. Go out there and play. We had a job to do tonight."
On how Thunder kept lead, and pulled away:
“They made shots. They got some offensive rebounds. We missed some shots. We missed some free throws. They were making everything on their end. They're good when their guys are making shots."
On Thunder's 19-rebound advantage:
“They've got a lot of great offensive rebounders. They got a lot of rebounds tonight. Russ [Russell Westbrook] and KD [Kevin Durant] scoring, too. It's tough. But we still have to find a way to win."