Detroit: Maurice Cheeks | Josh Smith
Atlanta: Mike Budenholzer | Paul Millsap | | Al Horford
(Opening statement on tonight’s game) “I thought the first half was better than the second half. (The Hawks) got some transition baskets and some pick-and-roll baskets that were really the difference. They got out and got more easy baskets than we did. They got a lot of transition baskets in the first half and a lot of pick-and-roll baskets in the second half. Our offense was better than our defense, and I thought that was a difference. It was a back-to-back, and we wanted to get more (production) inside and didn’t get as much as we like to. That was the difference; they got a lot inside and then they got the pick-and-roll going. They got both things going tonight.”
(On why he got the two technical fouls) “It was nothing. I just got them. It was a little frustration. You don’t want me to get fined.”
(On his return back to Atlanta) “It felt good (to be back), but it would have felt even better if we would’ve won. We’ll be okay. We’re still learning each other and still trying to figure out how to play (on the second night of) back-to-backs. It’s still a process. We just have to figure out our chemistry. I took shots that I normally take, but they just didn’t drop tonight. I’m glad I got this one under my belt. Now we can just move on and focus on playing basketball.”
(On fans reaction to him) “It was what I expected: a few cheers and some boos, but it’s all good.”
(On his conversations with Al Horford and Lou Williams pre- and post-game) “They’re still good friends of mine and they’re still my brothers. Other than when they play us, I wish the best for them.”
(Opening statement) “It’s important during the season to find a way to win ugly games. I think our group tonight found a way to do that. (They) found some energy when it probably wasn’t easy for either group. We’re going to learn from tonight. We have to be better at taking care of the ball, including at the end of the games. Mostly it’s important to find ways to win games like tonight. I’m happy with our group. A few guys individually responded. Jeff Teague had a stretch where he really responded and stepped up and helped us get some separation. Mike Scott, off the bench, really helped us. There were a lot of different guys that stepped up and helped us find a way to win tonight.”
(On the fourth quarter) “Defensively we got some stops and activity that led to some baskets. It seemed like Jeff got free for a couple of baskets out of pick-and-roll. He got to the rim, and made a couple pull-ups. It’s usually our defense fueling our offense and I think Jeff was able to find a way to get some buckets. Mike had some buckets also.”
(On DeMarre Carroll) “I think DeMarre’s energy and activity is almost always there. You can count on DeMarre in that way. We talk to him about how he brings an edge to us defensively. I think he’s really committed to being a defensive rebounder. We knew how important it was to keep them off the offensive boards. His general competitiveness and activity was really big for us throughout the night.”
(Did the game off help his elbow) “It did. I just really wanted to get it to calm down before we get too far into the season. I was able to buy some time for it.”
(On his game tonight) “I was just attacking the rim, getting to the basket. It was an ugly game, but we found ways to win.”
(On the first quarter) “A little bit of tired legs. But we knew through the tired legs, through the ugly game, if we continue to execute, continue to push, get our energy level up, the outcome would be good for us.”
(On the fourth quarter) “We were able to get some key stops and we executed well on offense. It wasn’t the prettiest game but we just made enough plays to win the game.”
(On tired legs in the first quarter) “For whatever reason, we were sluggish, they were sluggish. It was a back-to-back. I felt like we picked the energy up a little more in the second half and created enough separation to win the game.”