Detroit: Lawrence Frank | Corey Maggette
Denver: George Karl | Andre Miller | Kosta Koufos
(On giving up early lead): "We got off to a great start. You're not going to win a game 150 to 14. The key is when they made their run, even the last four minutes of the first quarter, the key is that a team is going to make a run, it's the mistakes we made and how they got them. With that, the mistakes multiplied and came in succession, so they become a little bit deflating. This game is about resolve and mental toughness. It's a six-point game at half, a six-point game at the end of the third quarter, and then we cut it to two, and at the end of the day in the fourth quarter we could not control the penetration off of the pick-and-roll. It's a game of runs; we just didn't have enough to get it done."
(On forcing the game): "In the first half alone, I think we had 22 shots at the rim, but we couldn't convert them. So when you put in making defensive mistakes on some coverages, giving up easy basket, and on the other end when you're not finishing as well as you'd like, it's dealing with that frustration within the course of the game. It's one thing when someone beats you just on raw talent, on individual possessions. It's another thing when you make systematic mistakes. We just have to continue to clean it up and get better."
(On pattern of losing games after double-digit leads): "No, Denver made some great plays down the stretch. Ty Lawson got into our paint and made some plays early on, and they had JaVale McGee going with some easy buckets to the basket. The transition plays put us in a situation."
(On letting their guard down after a big lead): "It's a lot of different things, not just one particular thing that you can say. In this league teams make runs. There was a situation where we made a run, and then we made some mistakes and they capitalized."
(On fatigue from playing two more games than the other teams): "From time to time, but we have to stay professional and come ready to play. Our guys really do a great job of coming ready to play. We'll be in a situation where we get into the game, and then two or three mistakes can cause a lifetime of heartaches."
(On being affective down the stretch): "Ty Lawson. After the beginning I thought he had control of the game from the standpoint of making shots; getting layups for us and getting wide open threes that we did not make. We missed half a dozen wide open threes in the third and the fourth. The orchestration was great."
(On Danilo Gallinari three point shooting): "With the lead, I wanted the three ball, but I did not want them to make threes. They played (Charlie) Villanueva down low at the five-minute mark before they went big again. Again, as you said, we got some shots and I think we actually got the timeout after the wide open three they missed, but the one he (Danilo Gallinari) made was kind of a broken play situation."
(On second quarter): "Our starters were not into trying to get good shots. We kind of just ran through the motions and I thought Corey (Brewer) and Andre (Miller) came then JaVale (McGee) and Andre got going and then our offensive confidence got back in the game. They were the aggressive team for the first seven or eight minutes of the game and we could not make a shot."
(On game): "I guess it was a sense of urgency tonight. We got off to a sluggish start again, but we were able to fin d a way to get some energy in the game and force some turnovers and play Nuggets basketball."
(On defense): "It has kind of been like that all season, but it is a tough road swing and we needed this win to go into Minnesota and try to get that one tomorrow."
(On team play): "We were way behind as far as the basketball we wanted to play, but we are finding a way to stay around .500."
(On win): "It was definitely a big win for us. After coming off of a loss we wanted to get a win coming into Minnesota. I have to give credit to the second team. They came in and lifted us up and they are the main reason we won today."
(On fourth quarter): "We just wanted to play hard through the second half and I think we salvaged ourselves early on in the second half and that is what helped us out."
(On energy): "We had a lot more energy in the second than we did in the first half. We just wanted to run the floor and we did that."