"We came out and responded well. We had some carry-over from last night and got into a good rhythm. Guys were making shots and making plays. Just a couple of times we had a chance to extend the lead and turned it over a couple of times (which) kind of hurt us, that allowed them to get back in it. We had a stretch there where we turned the ball over a little bit. The refs allowed them to be a little bit aggressive. They really hurt us on the boards tonight during stretches. That was the difference when we didn't turn the ball over, we were able to have some good possessions. When we turned the ball over, we allowed them to get on the boards and that allowed them to get back in the game."

"It wasn't flashy. There was nothing flashy about tonight. Like I said, we had stretches where we looked really good at both ends of the floor. We had stretches where we started turning it over and those got us in trouble. There were times that they did miss and they were getting the rebounds. It was a great win for us on the road, obviously following up last night. It's nice to get two wins and go back home and have a good Thanksgiving."

"That's a plus when (O'Neal) is fresh and he can set the tone. He's been effective for us all year long. He had a couple of stretches where he wasn't as aggressive as I would've liked him to be, kind of waiting for guys to cut and stuff. There were a couple of stretches where he must've thought they were coming to double and picked up his dribble. All in all, I'm just happy with the win."

"We were able to spread the ball around, the ball was pretty much well spread. A lot of guys did contribute, which was good to see. The most important thing was that we got the win. That's something we definitely needed and we got it."

"We came out a little flat in the third quarter and they were able to cut our lead, but we just kept with our composure and guys came out and hit big shots... You just have to gut them out. Guys are tired, cold city. This was just one of those days where we we were just laying around all day. I actually walked to the area because my legs were dead from laying around all day."

"Again, we didn't come out making shots. That wasn't the difference in the game. We shot 42 percent. I just thought the intensity of our attack, I can't answer if that's the reason why we didn't make shots, I don't know, it could lead to that. Obviously, the more aggressive you are, the better things will happen to you. It's almost like we were hoping that it would happen, instead of again, Detroit was a game where we made it happen."

"Well, Shaq is Shaq. He gives them an inside game. Throw the ball down, he gets them in the bonus, they shot 40 free throws, he gets nine, gets them in the bonus, now we've got guys out on the perimeter getting touch fouls and shooting free throws. That presence is something he adds to their team."

"It's not so much the game out of them. We got back into the game. I was shocked, kind of, by our lackadaisical, 'Okay, let's get into the flow' thing, instead of it being a thing where, two minutes in, I've got to call a timeout to settle our guys down. They're going too hard, too fast. That was the kind of game that we played in Detroit and I just thought this group was going to be jacked sky high. It kind of was the opposite."

"The plan was to limit everybody at that point. We're down 16, you're almost in the mode of we have to force both the tempo of the game offensively a little bit and just get after it. Defensively, it wasn't singling one person out when you're down 16, we had to just pick up our desire to play defense, which they did. Again, you come out like we did in the third quarter and do that at the start of the game, and it's a different (situation)."

"See, our young guys just don't quite understand, I think, the mental makeup of the league. They're on the road, they played last night, a game that they probably should have lost, they win it at the buzzer, an emotional game, they've got to fly here. You jump on them in the first quarter, and you know what, they're headed home, it's like, 'Let's get on the plane home, we had a pretty good trip.' That's what our guys don't understand, that they don't put into their thinking. Just as the game on Friday (at Oklahoma City). (If) we think we're going to walk into that building and win because they've lost 13 games in a row... we're kidding ourselves. Their one win is against us! We've got to realize that and we have to go in there with that attitude that they beat us once already, and we have to get this thing even."

"If we think because they've lost 13 in a row that all we need to do is show up, then it's going to be trouble for us. That's where we've got to get from a mental standpoint, our guys' thinking. Those kinds of things got to go in. What's Phoenix been on, a long road trip, they could be tired, let's jump on them right away, they're beat up. You've got to have that, it's part of being a professional in this league at 82 games of eight months playing. Those things add up, and I don't know if we've reached that point yet."

"Big Al and them were down there getting offensive rebounds and we tried to connect on those second-chance points. When there is athletic guy like Amar'e down there and a big guy like Shaq, it's hard to get easy shots near the basket. I've got to give credit to Al, he got 12 offensive boards and that's just from hard work... He steps up to the challenge when going against a top power forward in the league, and that's what you have to do in this league to be a standout." "You've just got to play through it. If you keep playing defense -- get a steal, or a rebound and quick outlet -- that could spark the offense."