Pelicans Head Coach Alvin Gentry
On tonight's game:
"I thought we played well. Obviously, they got separation at one stage. They made some shots. We missed some easy shots. They made some. I thought we continued to compete. Did a great job of protecting the ball. At the end of the day, they made a couple of plays down the stretch and we didn’t. That’s basically what it came down to."
On Julius Randle and the team’s second half performance:
"It hurt us, but we had to make a decision. Do we take him out of the game and have him sit over there for three or four minutes? Does that cause them to get separation enough to hold on or do we leave him in the game? We left him in the game. It wasn’t a very good foul – the last foul wasn’t a very good foul that he took and I think he understands that, but especially in those situations, where we really need him the most. You learn something from every game. The one thing I did appreciate is the guys came out in the second half and we competed. We competed like crazy and whenever they tried to knock us out of the box, we just hung in and came back and did a really good job. There was points in the game where Solomon (Hill) shot a shot that was three-quarters of the way down and came out. Those are the kind of things that you really can’t do anything about, but you know, we played hard and we competed hard and at the end of the day, they’re the best team in the West - by record, they’re the best team in the West. So those are the teams that we’re going to have to try to find a way, especially at home, to beat."
Pelicans Guard Jrue Holiday
On why the Clippers shot so well in the first half:
“I think we missed defensive assignments. There were a couple of times where we were not aggressive enough, especially on guys that can really score. So, it’s not so much what they did, but we really didn’t make it hard on them.”
On Lou Williams’s shot to take the lead late:
“It’s what he does. I played with him for a couple years now as a rookie, so he is my vet. That’s what he does and at that point, you have just got to hope he misses. But most of the time, going to his left, he’s probably going to make it.”
Pelicans Forward Julius Randle
On his sixth foul:
“I talked to him; I was just like, ‘We are both in there trying to get the rebound.’ He got it and – if you look at it – as soon as he got it, I just put my hands back to try not to foul. So, I just asked him if it was enough and he says he sees where I’m coming from, where he possibly could have let it go. But in those situations I’ve just got to be a little bit more careful. The fifth one I shouldn’t have got at all. I should’ve just got back, not tried to poke at the ball. When you are playing aggressive, trying to make things happen, it goes like that sometimes.”
On being aggressive when he’s in foul trouble:
“I’ve just got to be better, smarter in those situations, more mindful. Like you said, I tend to, you know – when I’m in those situations, I can’t pick up tick-tack fouls. I didn’t even know I had four at that point, so I definitely can’t get the fifth and put myself in that position.”