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2019-20 Game 12: Pelicans at Heat Postgame Quotes 11-16-19

Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry

On how the game was toe-to-toe until the fourth quarter:

“I thought we were okay until that point. We turned it over, then they got a layup, and then the two three-pointers at the end of the quarter really hurt us. It gave them separation. The guys played extremely hard. We pieced together lineups that ended up going in and doing everything they could playing competitive basketball. We really just ran out of gas to be honest. We just did not have enough people. We play tomorrow night, so that had to be taken into consideration also. I thought everyone we put in there played as hard as they could and competed at a really high level. We played against one of the hardest playing teams in the league. Obviously their record speaks for itself at 9-3. It’s one of the best records in the league, so they are a good, solid basketball team. I thought we did everything we could to stay in the game, but we just ran out of gas.”

On Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s slow start but confident performance tonight:

“I think that is the thing that is good about him and I think that it is going to be beneficial to him in the future. You have got to be able to forget about the last shot and think that the next one is going in. I think he has that mentality. He understands the mistakes he is making. He came back to the bench and said, ‘That’s my fault. I know where the ball should have gone on that’. So I think it is a learning process and he is learning it on the fly obviously. I thought we competed as hard as we could and we have got some guys that got some valuable time. I thought Jackson had his moments out there where he had his moments. He’s got to get himself better defensively and get himself stronger, but that’s going to come with experience and obviously the longer he is in the weight room working and getting an opportunity to do that, he will get stronger. Tough way, especially when you only have eight players. Zylan wasn’t even here for shootaround and we just got Josh that we brought in. We didn’t want to try to play guys to extend their long stretches. So it was a good effort by us. We lost to a really good basketball team, a well-coached basketball team. We’ll just have to go back and regroup and we play again tomorrow.”

On if he has seen only one call called in only one half of basketball:

“I’d have to say that in 31 years I have never seen that. I don’t remember a team playing 24 minutes and only having one foul called. I’m sure it may have happened, but it’s not something I remember.”

On any updates on Frank Jackson and Derrick Favors:

“No. I’m sure I’ll hear, but I just walked in the locker room. We’ll get it figured out before tomorrow night. We’ve got to do it up again tomorrow night and play. That’s what the NBA is. We’ll have enough guys to dress out. I expect us to play at a high level and win the basketball game.”

Pelicans Guard E'Twaun Moore

On his mentally going into this game with all the injuries the team has:

“Just try to be aggressive and try to make plays."

Pelicans guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker

On his mindset going into this game:

 “You never want guys to go down. I pray that all my teammate’s come back healthy so that we can try and turn it around. When your name is called you have to step up. My name was called and I felt that it was needed for me to be aggressive and that’s what I was trying to do.”

On what was behind his performance tonight?

 “Playing with peace mentally and letting the game come to me. You know when you get that rookie wall, you start thinking about a lot of different stuff and someone just told me to stay true to self. That’s what I did and God did his work.”

On the chemistry between him and Jaxson Hayes:

 “My grandma always told me that there’s no such thing as experience. In life you’ll be experiencing everything. As rookies we are getting more experience, more game reps and just learning to get a feel for the game.”