Detroit: John Loyer | Rodney Stuckey
Denver: Brian Shaw | Aaron Brooks | Darrell Arthur
(On the Nuggets backcourt getting away from them:) “They ran pretty good pick and rolls. Our pursuit on the pick and roll was not as good as it needed to be. When you sit there and watch guys making it and shooting it and feeling pretty good, I think they had five threes in the third, you just can’t be closing out short. You have to rush them and get all the way up in them and we just kind of watched. If you want to be a good defensive team you have to have multiple efforts. We had spurts where we had multiple efforts. But, to win on the road you have to have multiple efforts for 48 minutes; especially when it is a six-point game down the stretch. In the key spots we didn’t have multiple efforts.”
(On if the team was affected by not having Andre Drummond in the game tonight:) “You are always affected when you lose one of your better players. He averages 13 points and 13 rebounds. So, you definitely miss his rebounding, his presence around the rim and his ability to guard inside. Anytime you don’t have one of your starting players you definitely miss them.”
(On the bench:) “I thought our whole bench was pretty good. Kentavious [Caldwell-Pope] in the first half did well. He had 10 rebounds and was active. He guarded and tracked down some loose balls. I thought Charlie [Villanueva] came in and made some big buckets and did some good things. You can’t really fault any of their efforts; we just didn’t have the right effort in a couple of the spots: a key rebound, making a key free throw, maybe getting an extra possession by taking care of the ball. We had five rebounds at the end of the first half. I think we had six in the third quarter alone and then two in the fourth. If you cut those turnovers by two or three you would have cut more possessions.”
(On Aaron Brooks’ performance:) “He was tough tonight, especially in the pick-and-roll. If you get picked and he’s coming downhill it’s a tough battle. When given the opportunity he has played great in this league. Everybody knows he’s a good player.” On playing without Andre Drummond: “We really can’t make any adjustments losing Andre [Drummond]. Andre is our centerpiece in what’s going on out there. Guys just have to step up. It’s an opportunity for guys to step up and that’s what’s needed.”
(On Josh Smith ejection:) “We just lost a player so other guys have to step up. That’s part of being professional. Things happen throughout the course of a game. It’s our job as teammates to have his back.”
(On tonight’s game:) “Tonight’s game was a tale of two halves. The first half looked eerily similar to what we have done after we’ve had a big win and came out and played flat. We talked about that at halftime and said luckily there are two halves and we have another opportunity to turn it around and I thought we did that in the second half.
(On Aaron Brooks:) “Well he really got going in the second half. In the first half he was a little tentative. Coming off pick and roll situations he was getting into the paint [and] leaving his feet. I told him at halftime, they’re not taking away your shot, you’re coming off looking to pass, the play is for you. [When] you come off and they take away your scoring opportunity, then let your instincts kick in and tell you what to do after that. I thought in the second half he played a lot more aggressive. He took what the defense gave him. He came off with more force in the pick and roll situations and just really got it going. We needed every bit of what he gave us tonight. I told Aaron and Randy [Foye] that you guys have to get your rest during the timeout because I’m not taking either one of you out of the game.”
(On Kenneth Faried vs. Josh Smith:) “Josh [Smith] started talking to Kenneth [Faried] every time we threw the ball in to the post so he kind of started the whole thing. I was surprised Kenneth got a technical along with him when he got it but I have to give that assist to our assistant coach Melvin Hunt because he kept it going.”
(On how he pushed through fatigue to play 46 minutes tonight:) “The team—my teammates, [Randy] Foye played a great game; I thought everybody contributed and it was a team victory. That’s how we did it.”
(On becoming more comfortable with Denver’s offense and teammates:) “I kind of just took what the defense gave me. We hit some big shots, I was a little bit more aggressive—it’s weird, I’m laughing because you come down and shoot some shots and you kind of shake your head and you have Brian [Shaw] telling you to shoot it again, and I haven’t had that in a while. He’s giving us confidence, he believes in us and, I think, as a team after having a letdown for a few games we’re starting to regroup and come back.”
(On the last time he felt this good on a basketball court:) “I actually felt better a few games ago, but I didn’t make the shots. It seems like it just happened today. I wasn’t going out there trying to do something special today, it was just what the defense gave and guys hit shots.”
(On if he was surprised to record a career-high 17 assists tonight:) “You better watch my highlights because passing wasn’t my thing [laughs], I think before tonight it was probably 11 or 12. Like I said, I just learned the offense and am making better decisions—being older and seeing stuff a little bit different helped me expand my game a little bit more.”
(On his shooting of late:) “I’m feeling better shooting the ball; I’ve been working on my shooting the second half of the season. I’m getting open looks because the defense is sagging off because I normally don’t shoot those types of shots; I’m just trying to knock them down and be consistent as possible. Coach wants me to expand my game and that’s what I’m doing”
(On tonight’s game:) “I thought Aaron Brooks did a good job picking the defense apart, he did what he wanted to get to the rim and he got guys open for easy shots. I also thought J.J. Hickson did a good job coming off the bench and made two big shots at the end of the game, guys are just playing. It’s a team effort out there on the court.”