March 1, 2009 at Conseco Fieldhouse
Pacers 100, Nuggets 94
PACERS COACH JIM O'BRIEN
“That was a hard fought win. That’s a physical basketball team. It was a terrific gut check win for our team. I’m happy about the win."
(On Jeff Foster) "That’s why he’s in there. He does all the little things, the tough things. He’s the best defender we have at the big position."
"Murph (Troy Murphy) has been unbelievable."
(On the coming road trip) "One at a time. The next game is the biggest game in the world. Every game down the stretch is huge. We have to prove we can win on the road.”
PACERS GUARD JARRETT JACK
“We stayed in the game no matter what the score was. We stuck with our game plan. We kept playing hard and didn’t let up. I think that’s what led us to victory."
"We have built some energy at home and need to transfer it to the road."
"I let the game come to me. I put myself in position to score.”
PACERS FORWARD TROY MURPHY
“It was a lot of fun. It was a fun game out there. The crowd gave us a big lift and we were able to finish them off. This was a tough win for us. We’ve got to stick with it."
(On Jeff Foster) "He played great in the fourth quarter. He plays hard and he plays great defense. He really gave us a huge lift. We’ll take a win any way we can get it.”
NUGGETS COACH GEORGE KARL
(On the game) "They never quit. They were playing well at home and they got three or four bounces in a row. Indiana for some reason always finds a way to win in this building."
"Jarrett Jack is playing good right now and Troy Murphy had a good game and they are tough to beat at home."
(On their second quarter performance) "Our team should never have a 12-point quarter.”
NUGGETS CENTER NENE
“Indiana played very well. They’ve beaten Boston, the Lakers, Orlando at home…all good teams. They have confidence and they got us tonight."
(On the future) "We’re in good position but we can’t relax. We need to come back and play hard and play together. If you play with confidence you win."
(On losing a seven point lead late) "We lost focus. We lost attitude. We lost rebounds. They played well and maintained consistency and won the game.”
NUGGETS GUARD CHAUNCEY BILLUPS
“We were just a little out of sync. It’s just a little disappointing that we worked hard the other night on defense (against the Lakers) and tonight we weren’t as aggressive as we thought we should have been and we let them get into a rhythm. We had some bad bounces at the end of the game that were a little unfortunate, but we let them get into a rhythm."
(Was there an emotional let down from the Lakers game?) "I wouldn’t say so. We were focused at the start of the game. I just think they (the Pacers) are difficult. They’re extremely tough in this building. When they get running and gunning they have guys that can make a lot of plays. I think you just have to give them some credit. We let them get too much into a comfort zone. When you let a team get confidence, especially at home, it’s going to be a long night.”