Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry:
On tonight’s game:
“I just thought we played hard and competed against a really good team. I thought we maintained that intensity level throughout the game. We had a couple of bad possessions here and there, but the way we played that’s to be expected. I think all in all we did a good job. I thought the players we had to play well against defensively, Jamal Murray, did good. I thought Jrue (Holiday) did an outstanding job on him. I think overall we did a great job on (Nikola) Jokić; I think he started out really hot and we kind of got him under control. Defensively, I thought we did really good. And then offensively I think we did a great job moving the ball, creating space, taking advantage of certain situations. Then once again, obviously AD (Anthony Davis) played well, but I think other guys did a really good job.”
On taking Nikola Jokić out of the game:
“I thought we had to have a little better multiple efforts and I thought we started to do that. To get back to him and keep him off the boards. We did a good job of pulling in on the screen and rolls so they couldn’t hit him on those easy layup, pocket passes. I thought overall, like I said, I thought it was a good team effort. I thought we played well because we played together and played for each other.”
Pelicans Forward Anthony Davis
On higher assist numbers this season:
“You know I just realized that a lot of teams are scouting for me. They didn’t want me to go off I guess, so I’m just trying to find guys and guys are playing with a lot of confidence and making shots so. They know and I know where they are going to be and they know where I like them to be. You know guys are cutting to the basket and when one guy cuts I kind of just know where everybody is going to be because I told them. So guys are just playing with a lot of confidence and knocking down shots and that’s really all it’s been.”
On how challenging it is to defend when Davis, Julius Randle and Nikola Mirotić are all scoring:
“When everybody’s got it going, you know, especially me, Julius and Niko, we are a tough team to beat. You know we showed that when we played Houston. We just try to play off each other. Julius talks to me a lot during the game. I just try and tell him where I want him to be if I got the ball, and then Niko, we always know we got an outlet to him. He’s going to shoot it 10 times out of 10 [laughs]. He’s not going to pass it so [more laughs], I think that’s where a lot of my assists come from. I just throw it to Niko and I know he is going to put it up, but we are just trying to play together. Of course we are still trying to experiment with that big lineup and it’s been working for us as of late.”
Pelicans Guard Jrue Holiday
On the impact of Anthony Davis taking 20 free throws in a game:
“It’s pretty hard to stop, especially when he gets in a groove like that where – I mean we don’t think anyone can guard him in the first place, but when you try to switch one person to the next person on to them and, I mean, he’s giving them whatever he wants.”
On stopping the team when all three of the big guys are scoring:
“I think it’s pretty difficult really. That’s kind of how it was in the first four games where they just kind of took over, they run point, they get to the free throw line, they get all the assists. They do the guard’s job really so we are just out there for support.”