See what the Brooklyn Nets had to say after their 106-106 win over the Indiana Pacers.
KENNY ATKINSON
On fourth quarter execution:
“We did everything well this game but shoot the ball, and really that’s what you have to do on the road. I thought our defensive grit was great in the fourth quarter, we only turned it over twice. That was a real big key tonight. Guys made plays. That’s what it comes down to in the NBA. At the end of the game, you make plays and one team does, the other kind of goes home not too happy. That’s just how it rolls.”
On winning despite not shooting well:
“Especially in this place against a really good Indiana team. The chemistry was great, we had a lot of guys contribute. Defensively, we were really good. That’s what really kept us in the game, we obviously didn’t shoot it well. Spencer getting to the free throw line 15 times, that kind of saved us offensively. Great group effort.”
On Deandre Jordan:
“We need his physicality. We just felt with Sabonis we needed to match up with Sabonis and have a really strong body in there to ward him off and I’m glad we stuck with him. Made some big plays, big defensive plays. The play at the end, just experience in the league and understanding that he had to step up on that shot if he was back. Who knows, they might have hit that shot? He had another good game for us.”
SPENCER DINWIDDIE
On characterizing his performance:
“They’re a team that helps a lot, so it’s not pressing for me to score a ton. I was fortunate to be able to get to the line and be able get free throws which helped mask some of my shooting woes. Really in terms of shooting, I kept thinking I was going to blow the game because we were playing so well collectively, eight people in double figures, and had a pretty good defensive effort as well. I was like, ‘Come on man! You can’t be the one that blows this thing.’ That’s not what I was thinking during the last shot, last shot is different, but that’s what I was thinking during the game.”
On last shot:
“Last shot was just an iso. People laugh all the time, but this is really real. When I get ready to shoot the mid-range during the game, I’m hesitant. I’m like, ‘Ahh, Kenny’s gonna be mad, so I don’t wanna shoot it and second-guess it.’ And percentages are (bad). But then at the end of the game, there’s no rules. It’s like playing one-on-one, me and you. And so it really was just an iso. Get the shot off with enough time for (DeAndre Jordan) to rebound it, get yourself another chance. That’s what I tried to do, and Brogdon kept backing up, so I went to a pull-up. If he had pressed up, I probably would have drove it. You just read the game and read the defense. It’s just one-on-one. I love playing one-on-one. That’s my thing.”
On beating good team on road:
“It’s big-time. Obviously we know they’re going through their own struggles over there, but us on the road versus high-quality competition has been a struggle as well. Being able to beat a team that’s trying to break out of their struggle a little bit is huge, and we’re proud of the guys in the locker room. We want to keep the momentum going, get another win before the break, and try to just ride that wave into the nice little break.”
JOE HARRIS
On rebounding:
“We talked about it before the game, everybody getting a body, it wasn’t gonna be just (Jarrett Allen) or (DeAndre Jordan) battling with (Domantas) Sabonis or (Myles) Turner, where they’d had their way with us the first couple of games. Obviously, DJ had 19 rebounds and whenever you have anyone board like that, it makes everybody’s job a lot easier but we had a lot of good guard rebounding effort. Everybody’s was coming back to get the ball, make sure that we had it. A lot of that had to do with the quality of the defensive possessions. We were able to guard guys tough, force them into contested shots. And then everybody got a body on a man and was able to get boards.”
On 3-pointers in third quarter:
“We didn’t shoot particularly well, but it’s one of those things (Taurean Prince) and I were just talking about where sort of, me and him are not the type of players where we facilitate on our own. We can get to the rim and we’re pretty opportunistic in terms of driving, but a lot of times we get shots when other guys are getting into the paint or there’s transition or a defensive miscue, so you just have to stay patient with it, keep running to your spots, trusting your spacing, finding the windows, and then when you get it, have the confidence to take it and make it.”
On Spencer Dinwiddie:
“Everybody had the confidence in him to take and make the last-second shot. He got to a spot, unbelievable mid-range pull-up. Spencer’s so good at getting to the rim he keeps even the best defenders on their heels. He was able to rise up, get a clean look at it. He did a good job all night getting into the paint. He got me a wide-open three there at the end too just because everybody was collapsing to him. He was putting so much pressure on the defense and making the game a lot easier for everybody else.”