Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Rockets

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well, even though we have one more game left, I think that it’s an appropriate time being that this is the last home game to talk a little about our team and where we’ve been and where we’re going. So I’m going to focus on that a little bit more than the game, at least initially, and then any questions you guys have I will be glad to answer them. I just think that to have a great turnout for this team on Fan Appreciation Night, we appreciate that, we appreciate our fans. We know how much they’ve been watching this team this year and how much hope that this city has for the development of this team, and I believe that we’ve taken a lot of great steps this year toward becoming the team that this city will continue to embrace. I think that when you take a team that won 17 games, had the worst record in the league, was the worst rebounding team and the worst defensive team and start with the youngest team, least experienced team in the league – it’s not realistic to expect playoffs. You can hope for playoffs, and that’s what we hoped for every game, we tried to win every game this year. But what we did expect was intensity, competitiveness and improvement. I don’t think by any measure that this team would be judged to have failed in any of those. I’m very pleased to be coaching this group of young men. When we talk about where we’re going to be going forward, there’s not a player on this roster that I’m down on and would say couldn’t be a part of our team as it becomes a successful playoff NBA team in the future. Obviously, it won’t happen where everybody’s still here – the deck gets shuffled and you try to add to your team every year and you make deals. These players gave what they had this year with one more game to go – I’m sure they’ll continue to give it less tomorrow night. The first step in us becoming a winning team is that we have to be a competing team. I think this team competed extremely hard this year every game. Some games the results weren’t as pretty but this team did compete. We have competitors; we will continue to keep adding competitors to this team. As the skill level raises, as young players improve, the win total will go up and as we add to this team the win total will go up and we took a great first step toward that. The goal is winning and we won’t be happy until we’ve achieved that and continue to achieve that over many years. So anyway, getting to this game tonight, this game was – I’ll have to admit, it was a little bit of a distraction I think for our players. There wasn’t much defense being played out there tonight, there’s no doubt about that. In fact, I do think that the accomplishment of Tyreke (Evans), even though it was a distraction to this individual, can’t be diminished when you look at the totality of this season. To be mentioned statistically in the same breath as Michael Jordan, Oscar Robertson and LeBron James is a phenomenal thing. Every player in our locker room is happy for Tyreke and proud of him because he’s such a great teammate and selfless player. That is the trademark we want for this team as we go forward. So we’re pleased he got the record, we’re sorry it came in a loss. I understand the distraction of the hoopla – it looked like Tyreke forgot to make layups tonight when he was on the cusp. He’s the best layup maker in the NBA and he was struggling – I think he was probably nervous even though I doubt if he would ever admit it. The reception of the fans was great. I thought it was pretty special for Kevin Martin too to come back in probably a non-characteristic NBA coaches way, I was actually happy for Kevin even though he’s on the other team. We enjoyed having him on the team and to see him have that kind of success when he comes home, every player dreams of that, so we’re happy for Kevin too. It was a nice night for basketball, we wish we would have won and we will continue everything we can to improve this team as we move forward.”

Tyreke Evans

“It was hard, that was the hardest bucket I have ever had to score in my life. Coming into the game I knew everyone wanted me to break the record at home in front of my family and my friends. It was kind of tough. Trying to get that last bucket, it seems like nothing would fall for me. I told coach to take me out then put me back in. Then I got fouled, the foul shots made me nervous, but then it went in. I thought I was going to air ball the first one. I shot it hard and then it went in, then the second one went in. It was a good season for me overall. We didn’t get the win at home, but we played hard. I just went out and tried, but it was so hard to get that bucket.”

On what it means to the city of Sacramento
“It means alot, they came out and showed support. They had all their signs up and were watching me make history. They have been good all year, whether we were losing or we were winning. Those are true fans right there.”

On what to expect going into tomorrow
“The next game in L.A. you can expect us to just go out there and play. This is off my back now. I am going to play the game I have been playing all year out there and hopefully we will get a win.”

Donte Greene

On Tyreke tonight getting 20-5-5
“There were a lot of distractions tonight. I am just happy for Tyreke. At the end of the day I just wish we could have gotten the win, but congrats to Tyreke.”

On tomorrow and looking toward next season
“Tomorrow we just need to finish strong, work hard and we need to try to get ready for next year. I would like to get that starting job (next year) and go from there.”

On Coach Westphal’s extension
“It is definitely nice. For me having three coaches in my two NBA years it was a little difficult. Now we have someone who is stable and a good guy. We are going to go far.”

Omri Casspi

On the pressure on Tyreke tonight
“I just tried to tell him, you just got to score two points, it’s only two points. You just can’t force it. I think it was too much pressure because it is an unbelievable thing and he was under pressure. It was nice though.”

On the fan support and going into next season
“It is a good feeling. We have a lot of support. We need to focus going into the off-season on our game and get better for next year.”

Houston Rockets Head Coach Rick Adelman

Turnaround
“I think the whole game changed in the second half. We were so poor defensively in the first half. They pretty much did what they wanted. They just got the ball and went to the basket. We talked about it at halftime that we needed to be the aggressors and not react to everything that they did. We had to set the tone. We were much more aggressive in the second half and getting back and controlling it. Kevin (Martin) kept us in it the first half. We had 62 points and were still down. It was really our attitude the second half that turned the game. We got so much more aggressive defensively.”

First half
“It’s been our problem all year long. Sacramento was very aggressive in the start of the game. Wherever they had mismatches they went at it and took advantage of it. You are going to have mismatches, but as a team, five guys have to play together. I told them at halftime you have to respect your teammates. You have to help each other and take more responsibility of yourself. We’re young like Sacramento and we make mistakes but if you make them make them with aggression and not be passive.”

Playing against Tyreke Evans
“The first half he was coming down the court and he had the guy back pedal and would take it to the rim. Our guys acted like he couldn’t finish there. The adjustment we made was we were not going to allow him to get to the basket. We were going to be in his face all the time and if they start making three’s so be it. We just decided that we were tired of layups and tired of easy baskets. They could make shots over the top of us. It was our game plan from the start but the effort was there in the second half.”

Game distractions tonight
“We have to go out and play how we’ve played all year long. I didn’t even know what was going on until they put the 20-5-5 up there. I’m more than happy to let him have that and we’ll take the win and go home.”

Kevin Martin, Houston Rockets Guard

Returning to Sacramento
“There was a lot of emotion running through my body tonight. I saw a lot of people wearing my jersey out there tonight. It was like I was still playing a home game. That made me feel good and proud of what I did here. I just wanted to respect the game and respect the fans that came out and supported myself and my team.”

Tyreke Evans’ 20-5-5
“It was a tremendous accomplishment for him. He’s going to be a great player.”

Tonight’s game
“They know my game very well. I’m a scorer. The best defense against me is to come right at me. I just had a little extra effort tonight because I wanted to get back at them too. It was just going back and forth. It seems like the last man standing won.”

Video tribute and fan reaction
“I didn’t notice it but they did give it to me. I’ll watch it tonight. I appreciated it very much. The community and I had a great relationship while I was here and I will never forget those times. I’m happy Sacramento was my first opportunity in the NBA and they showed me a lot of loyalty. Thanks to Geoff Petrie, he put me in a great situation. Everything was positive.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Mavs

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well we had a nice crowd out there supporting us tonight and they got to watch Dirk Nowitzki show what he can do. He showed why he’s one of the greatest players ever to play this game. It looked like the basket was like three times the size of a normal basket whenever he shot the ball tonight. On top of that, they had their other players shooting the ball extremely well – 13 for 21 (three-point shots). You want teams to shoot more three-point shots as opposed to getting inside when you’re a smaller team like we are but when they shoot 62 percent on threes it’s hard to mount much of a comeback. It seemed like it was a great offensive performance by a veteran team who’s tuning up for the playoffs. If they shoot the ball like that, they can win any time they play. So it was a tough night for us trying to stop them – we couldn’t do it – and that was pretty much the name of the game tonight. We’re thrilled that our fans are still supporting us. We’re looking forward to our last home game – Fan Appreciation Night – we hope that that’s a sellout. We want to finish this season strong. I’m sorry it’s coming to an end, I really am. I love coaching these guys. I see better days ahead as we add to the mix that we have and we’re staying positive despite setbacks. Like I said, I give the Mavericks and Dirk all the credit in the world. That’s a team that’s playing their best basketball at the most important time of the year. They steamrolled us tonight after they got Portland last night. We did hold Dirk to 39 – he had 40 last night.”

“Well we turned it over too much in the first half – we can only blame ourselves for that. They played good defense and you can’t turn the ball over 11 times against a team like that. We were chasing them because they were so efficient offensively. We needed for them to hit a lull and whenever we thought they might hit a lull they just threw it to Dirk. So it was the first half that did us in with our ball handling. We did play pretty well – we played solid but we couldn’t stop them. When a team shoots 62 percent on threes, it’s gonna be a long night.”

On Carl Landry:
“I’ll tell you the truth, nothing surprises me about his scoring ability. Carl’s one of the top scoring forwards in the league. Per minute played he’s showed what he can do this year and he’s getting more minutes so he gets more points. He’s a high-percentage shooter, he’s versatile and the more we learn to throw him the ball and get him more shots, the more points he’ll score. He’s always going to be an efficient scorer.”

On Jason Kidd:
“It’s beautiful to watch him play. He fills up the stat sheet but he doesn’t play for stats. He just plays for making the right play every time and he gets them in the right situations. He knows who the shooters are and where they like the ball and he’s a genius at doing that. To have as much energy and conditioning as he has at this time of the year, at this stage of his career, is extremely remarkable. He’s in the perfect situation for him – he’s got enough big guys to protect the basket, he’s got shooters all around him and he’s got Dirk. It’s going to be an interesting playoff run. I think the Mavericks are poised to really do some damage.”

Carl Landry

On Dirk in the third quarter
“He did a good job of running, transitioning and getting to the open spot. They were already up about 15 points, they are a veteran team and they just want to stick a dagger in you. Every time he had a good look at the hoop he shot it. He kept sticking those daggers into us and nailing those shots.”

On Dirk’s overall performance
“We just let him have easy shots. We were not contesting any of the shots. In the third quarter there was a man by him, but just in transition. Anytime a team gets up and gets on a run and starts to gain momentum that is when you take those big shots. That is when you take quick shots and try to make big plays and that is what they did tonight. That is what we have to learn. Dirk just kept throwing daggers at us. Unfortunately we just lost tonight.”

On his performance
“The game isn’t over until the horn sounds. I continue to just play. I just wanted to continue to play hard, score, play a little offense, a little defense. I just wanted to do whatever I could to find my open teammates.”

On the Mavericks
“They are a veteran team. They have been together for a long time and the starting five has been together for a very long time. Erick Dampier, Jason Kidd, Jason Terry and Dirk Nowitzki have been together for some years. They are veteran players who know how to play the game. We are still young and trying to find ways to understand the game. They are getting ready for the playoffs so they just came out here and played well. Unfortunately, we came up short.”

On the season coming to an end
“I love basketball. I never want the season to come to an end. I wish that we could go to the playoffs like I did the last two years in Houston, but at the same time I can look at it as a positive. I have more time to become a better player for next year and help this ballclub get to where we need to go.”

Omri Casspi

On Dirk in the third quarter
“You just can’t stop the guy. He is very impressive. We tried to make adjustments and tried to trap him, but when they kicked it out to him and he has such a high percentage shooting it is tough.”

On the Mavericks going into the playoffs
They are vey dangerous, when they shoot like that. They can beat anyone anywhere. It will be interesting to see them in the playoffs and I wish them all the best.”

On his play tonight
“I was just happy to be out there on the court. I had some good opportunities and I kept rolling and got into a groove. I am just happy and I had a good game. I am going to continue to learn and finish the season out strong.”

Dallas Mavericks Rick Carlisle

On how tonight differs from the win last night
“Different kind of game, different kind of team. It is the same kind of formula for success: tough, hardnosed defense and rebounding and being efficient on offense. It is a solid win for us. We need them all.”

On getting ready for the playoffs
“We are taking some steps. We are not there, yet. Over the next five or six days, we have to keep working toward that. Each game has critical meaning in terms of the seeding. Our guys are focused in on what we need to do. We did some good things tonight.”

On their improved play and Dirk Nowitzki in particular
“Our execution has been good. He (Nowitzki) has been recognizing situations when he should drive the ball and find open spaces. We had 27 assists tonight which means we were really moving the ball and he had a lot to do with that. If he’s open, there is a good chance he is going to make the shot. He is that kind of a scorer and that kind of big shooter. It was not just him.”

On the play of Jason Kidd
“(Jason) Kidd had a triple-double, which was phenomenal, in 31 minutes. He came out with such great urgency to begin the game. He came out and ‘bang, bang’ hit two jump shots to start the game and that set the tone for us.”

Dallas Mavericks Forward Dirk Nowitzki

On the strong team game
“I think we set the tone early on. Kidd was pushing the ball for us. We were getting some stops and got an early lead. We carried it on through there. They made a couple runs and a few pushes at us, but we made some timely shots when we needed them and got some stops. It was definitely a good outing for us. Now we are going to try and get the second seed if we can.”

On how he is playing lately
“Just being aggressive if I’m open. Shoot the ball or put it on the floor and get to the foul line. That always helps. And just working with the guys. We have a lot of guys that can score. Caron (Butler) has been playing well. If our guys are shooting the ball the way we were tonight, it makes everything a lot easier. It was definitely a good game.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Clippers

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Well, that was a nice picture of how we want to play. So I’m pleased that our guys have kept their focus and kept their intensity and came out and could play a game that efficiently. (We) did a great job on the boards, a great job with the turnovers, played decent defense, moved the ball around and got good performances from everybody that played. So we want to just take that game and keep building. I’m really pleased that we played with that kind of focus.”

“That’s what you shoot for every game – we just want to keep working so that we have more and more of those games. I think that if we can keep playing with the kind of efficiency we played with tonight, we will have more of them too.”

On Jason Thompson:
“I think JT is feeling pretty comfortable at playing the center. It looks like he and Carl (Landry) are a pair that are both very versatile – they can both go inside and step outside and hit the jumpers, they can kind of pick on whoever the smaller defender is and put them in pick and rolls and find a way to be effective. I think JT’s doing a better job of driving and using his quickness rather than try to bull over everybody. He’s really been working on his footwork and attacking the bigger players off the dribble. I think he’s showing that work is paying off.”

When asked what he told the team during the fourth quarter when the Clippers started chipping away the lead:
“When they did start chipping away and they cut it to eight, just to keep moving the ball. We seemed to be getting a little sloppy at both ends. Coach stuff – get down, move your feet, don’t get beat off the dribble, hold them to one shot, move the ball, just keep doing what you did to get the lead.”

On the mid-range shot of Tyreke Evans:
“When Tyreke masters that mid-range shot he’ll be pretty much un-guardable. He’s been working on it. He’s been working on shortening his stroke a little bit so it doesn’t have as much motion – more wrist, less arm. He’s definitely on the way to being deadly from that range.”

Carl Landry

On the win
“It feels good to finally get a win. We were on an eight-game losing streak, so it definitely feels good to win. Once we find our right pieces and once we find the pieces that go together then we will come around.”

On Jason Thompson tonight
“He played very well; he played like an All-Star tonight. He was a superstar with 22 (points) and 15 (rebounds). He just keeps going and going after the boards. When I was in Houston playing against him, he was a player that I just hated playing against. He continues to attack the boards and stays aggressive. He is a great shooter and has drive and size. He is a tough player that opponents don’t like to play against.”

On their energy tonight
“We come out and we play hard. We come out and act like we can play, and we are playing like we should. I think we can beat anyone in this league.

Jason Thompson

On the Clippers bigs
“I know that Chris Kaman is an All-Star and the Clippers have talented bigs, but they are not the quickest so I can use my quickness on them. I can see how they are guarding me, if they step back then I will make them respect it and let me shoot the jumper.”

On whom he works with
“I work with Coach Carril, Shareef (Abdur-Rahim) and Truck (Robinson). They all have three different perspectives on the game of basketball and I kind of put it all together. It is only my second year, so I am still taking in all the information they are giving me. I think that coming down (to the end of the season), I am trying to finish strong, play slower and play to the pace of the game.”

On learning this year
“I think that it was good for me to play all of the games last year. Now being injured and playing different roles, it is just another perspective of the game. I have been learning it and this has been a learning experience. All of the things that I learned (this year), I am going to take into next year.”

Tyreke Evans

“We were definitely struggling and we played some tough teams. In some we played well but couldn’t get it down the stretch.”

Los Angles Clippers Interim Head Coach Kim Hughes

Tonight’s game…
“The stats look good offensively. Other than rebounding (47-32 in favor of the Kings) we shot 48 percent. So we did not compete defensively.”

Tonight’s effort…
“It was dismal. It was unacceptable and cheating ourselves and our teammates by playing like that.”

Tyreke Evans’ performance…
“I thought he was terrific. I thought he bullied us. He dribbled in with his quick body. He was quicker and stronger. More adept to dribbling and got to any spot on the floor he wanted to.”

Final stretch…
“It was tough because we would substitute in and the guys coming off the bench weren’t defending either. We were searching trying to find guys that would guard. There just weren’t enough guys out there that were choosing to guard.”

Drew Gooden, Los Angeles Clippers Forward

Tonight’s game…
“We didn’t compete tonight. I don’t know as far as our future and how we are going to play the rest of the games but we didn’t compete tonight. We competed last game. We didn’t compete tonight. We competed for stretches.”

Tyreke Evans’ for Rookie of the Year…
“He has a lot of confidence going on for him right now. He’s trying to get Rookie of the Year. Their goal is to probably help him achieve that and break the record. He’s on a lot of momentum and confidence right now.”

Remainder of the season…
“To compete and be professional is all that we can ask for.”

Steve Blake, Los Angeles Clippers

Tyreke Evans’ game…
“He’s an outstanding player. He’s come into the league right away and it looks like he understands the game and knows when to take over.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Blazers

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

Tonight’s game
“Developing this team is about making us solid for the long term in the NBA. As we develop we have to find a way to win these kinds of games. Portland is a very formidable team. They are solidly in the playoffs. No one wants to play them in the playoffs. They are one of the top teams in the league. I’m proud of our guys as banged up as we are, to be able to put ourselves in the position to have a chance to win. It shows the competitive spirit and the talent that our players have and I’m proud of them for that. Our next step is to use every minute of every game of this year to get to the point were we can win these close games against really good teams. Obviously we haven’t mastered that part of our game by a long shot. Everything that we do is directed towards that. We have to learn how to get the shots that we want in the fourth quarter, make sure we get the calls in the fourth quarter and get stops in the fourth quarter. Those are all things that we are working on and need to improve and will continue to do so for the rest of the season and for as long as I am here.”

Beno Udrih’s performance…
“Beno has been very good for us all year. Whatever we’ve asked him to do he’s given us everything he’s got. He’s a great leader. He’s a very smart player and very versatile. I think that the coaching staff and the players on our team have a lot of confidence in Beno and I think that helps him to play with the confidence he needs to make the plays that he makes.

“We want to keep running the stuff that got us the lead. It’s frustrating when you can’t make the plays. I thought as much as anything the loose balls that we didn’t get tonight decided the game. When you get behind, you press a little bit and everything gets more magnified. A few loose balls. A few plays that we didn’t execute perfectly changed the whole dynamic of the game.”

Omri Casspi coming back…
“I was glad to have him out there. I thought that he provided a spark for us. It was nice to have him out there.”

Tyreke Evans’ performance tonight…
“He was 2-for-12; obviously that’s not a Tyreke Evans kind of game. I look here and see his three free-throw attempts. I would have liked to see a few more foul shots. It wasn’t like he wasn’t driving but that’s the way this league is sometimes. You have to adjust to however they are calling it and make plays. Certainly he’s had better nights.”

Carl Landry

On the Blazers’ play tonight
“We just played a good team tonight and a team that is getting better going into the playoffs. We are a good team too. A great ballgame was played tonight. I tip my hat off to them. They did a good job of executing down the stretch and made some good shots.”

On continuing to play hard
“It’s tough. We are a team that needs to grow because we are so young and play with a lot of confidence. It is discouraging to lose seven games in a row. We just have to continue to fight. One thing about this team is every night, even though our record isn’t good, we still go out there and fight.”

On the growth of the players
“I think that everyone on this team needs to look forward and this is my third year and I need to start thinking like a fourth-year player. If there are rookies on this team or a second-year player, they need to start playing like second- and third-year players. You have to take the turnovers and loose balls and charges and take accountability. We just have to grow as players and as a team together. The core of this team, coach said are going to be together for a while and for as long as he is here. I think that we just need to continue to grow in the next five years.”

“Even teams that have been together for a long time, like San Antonio or Dallas, they still continue to play hard everyday. Players are trying to develop and continue to be better players. They try to add something to their game everyday. We are still trying to feel each other out and we have been together about 20 games now and I think that we are improving. I think we are better than our record shows.”

Omri Casspi

On the Blazers’ play tonight
“They played good defense. I think they made some good shots down the stretch. At the end of the day, it was another loss for us. We will get together Monday again and we will get ready for the five games left. Most of them are against the top elite teams in the league and playoff teams so we have to be ready.”

On getting more minutes
“I am happy that coach decided to play me more tonight. I was able to get into my rhythm and I showed I was confident out there. I hope I continue to be like that and I am happy that I got to play.”

On being injured and not playing
“I want to play and it was hard for me to sit on the bench most of the games when I was injured and I was sick for a game. I just want to be able to help my team. I am happy to be back and to be able to contribute and play good basketball.”

On Beno’s production tonight
“Beno has been great. It wasn’t just on the trip, it was before then too. He is a true leader for our team. I am just happy for him because he is a great guy. Hopefully he will continue like that and finish the season strong. We will have a lot of things to build on for next year.”

Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan

On his outlook on the game
“I just wanted to make sure we got out of here with a “W”. I thought our defense in the second half locked in and started playing much better; only 38 points in the second half.”

On whether the team is immensely better when Nicolas Batum is hitting his outside shots
“No question, because he is going to get those shots. The weak side is going to get those shots when you have Brandon (Roy) and Andre (Miller), and LaMarcus (Aldridge). Teams are going to force other guys to make plays. They have to be ready to shoot it, they have to shoot it and knock it down. That is going to happen. And tonight he was knocking down his shot. When he is shooting that ball with confidence, no question, we are a much better team.”

On the starters scoring well
“We moved the ball. Again, when they are double-teaming and we are doing a good job moving the ball, guys will get their opportunities and you will have to knock down those shots when you get them.”

On Nicolas’ defense on Tyreke Evans
“We wanted to get length on him. That matchup was good for us the last time we played them. Keeping him infront of us and making him shoot over the top. Normally, we try to go into the post against him and get Nicolas on him.”

On the play of Andre Miller and what he brings
“Orchestrating this team. He is a general on the floor. We try and take advantage of matchups and there are times where there is a matchup he is quarterbacking. Brandon has matchups and so does LaMarcus. LaMarcus is that guy that has established the post play for us. But Andre is going a good job of getting the ball where it needs to go at the right time and keeping everyone involved. He has that experience and knows how to run a team.”

Portland Trail Blazers Guard Brandon Roy

On his team’s recent play toward the playoffs
“We are playing good basketball. We are doing everything we can to move up, but the teams above us are winning too. We can only control what we can.”

On his impression of the game
“I thought we did a good job of beginning aggressive offensively and moving the ball. We found the open man tonight, which was big. There were not a lot of poor shots. We are going to need to get our bench going if we are going to make a run in the playoffs. We just made shots.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Cavs

SACRAMENTO HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

(On the game):
“I don’t know if Cleveland was ever thinking they were going to lose that game, but we sure thought that we played as well as we could play under the circumstances. We were trying to stay close and find a way to pull it out at the end. When LeBron (James) hit that shot from about six or seven feet behind the line with one second on the shot clock, that pretty much took care of things.”

(On the Kings):
“I was really proud of our team. You could say we turned it over a little bit too much in the first half. We were playing with one guard (Beno Udrih) and one center (Jason Thompson) and, really, seven players and I thought we got some phenomenal efforts from a lot of people, and we’re very proud of our team.”

(On the Kings bench):
“(Laughing) You mean Ime (Udoka) and (Andres) Nocioni? They were very important. Nocioni has been struggling with his shot lately. He’s a real pro and I thought when he got it going, it was nice that we could ride him. He gave us a real big lift off the bench. We had no backup for Beno, so he had to go the whole game and we had no backup for Jason Thompson and he went the whole game and (Carl) Landry played a lot. You could see it, the last few minutes, Beno was wobbly a little bit, but what a sensational game he played. He handled the ball for 48 minutes against that team and run the show the way he did, is just really a great effort.”

(On LeBron James and the problems he causes teams):
“You don’t even know where to start with him. He’s such a complete player. He doesn’t ever seem to get tired and he does it at both ends (of the court). You really just sort of hope he has an off game because there’s not much you’re going to do to make him have a bad game. You double him, he’ll pass it and they have enough good players to make you pay. He’s a great ball handler, he can pretty much pick his spots and inflict his will on the game whenever he wants to. He’s really that good.”

BENO UDRIH

(On the Kings effort with the injuries):
“I think we played great with the best team in the NBA right now. We were right there basically, we knew a couple of guys were going to have to play a lot of minutes and we were pacing ourselves and trying to get some stops. I think we were good out there. At the end, we came up short a little bit and that’s because of the guys getting hurt. It is what it is.”

(On his possible fatigue from playing the entire game):
“I paced myself. Sometimes, I run around a little bit more. This time, I had to pace myself a little bit more. I wasn’t as tired as I thought I would be. I think I was keeping my energy as much as I could.”

(On his triple-double):
“I found out I had a triple-double, Spencer (Hawes) told me so. It is what it is, it doesn’t matter at the end, we still lost. It would be much sweeter if we won.”

(On LeBron James in the fourth quarter of close games):
“He’s just a great player. I can’t really give him enough credit. He does everything. He rebounds, he pushes the ball, he finds his teammates. I remember him when he came to the league and he was struggling with his shot a little bit. He’s improved his shot and is much better. A lot of people, I think, still think of him like he can’t shoot. But, he knocked down some big shots and he knocked down that big three-point shot at the shot clock and that basically gave them a seven-point lead, and against teams like that, once they get a nine-point lead, you know it’s basically over. His teammates know exactly where he is and even if you double team him, somehow they will get him open and get him the ball. That’s how it is supposed to be, you have to give the ball to the main guy to make plays.”

OMRI CASSPI

(On the end of the game):
“I think, at the end of the game, you have to make shots and we came up a little bit short. LeBron made shots and sometimes you lose games by the little things.”

(On his performance):
“I felt good out there. I had an opportunity to play a little bit more and get a little rhythm. I’m just happy I could go out there and compete. “

CAVALIERS HEAD COACH MIKE BROWN

(On tonight’s win):
“It was a good win. I thought that in the fourth quarter, we stepped up our defense and that was the difference in the ballgame. The game was a little disjointed, a little ugly, but it was good to be able to get the win, especially with the way Beno Udrih played tonight. He had a big night obviously, and (so did) Landry, Thompson and Nocioni off the bench. For us to step up defensively in the fourth quarter and get this win is great. We have still got to keep trying to continue to build on that edge that we had and if we can, we will be fine going down into the playoffs.”

(On having Z back as a Cavalier):
“It’s great. This is Z’s third game that he’s played with us and it’s been terrific having him back in a Cavs uniform. He’s a great guy, his wife is terrific and he has done a lot for this organization and community.”

(On missing Anderson Varejao in the lineup):
“Andy is a big piece to what we do, so the bench doesn’t just miss him, but the whole team does. For him to be out means that others guys are going to have to step up, and I thought Leon did a terrific job, especially late in the fourth quarter, of stepping up.”

(On missing the energy Anderson brings to the floor):
“That’s what he does. He does that for us. Not to say that the other guys don’t, but he comes up with some big hustle plays and big plays around the rim. We missed that a little bit in the second half against San Antonio and we missed it a little bit tonight. I thought that Leon was big for us in that area coming up with some 50/50 balls and stuff like that, especially around the basket.”

(On the reception the fans gave Z for his first home game back):
“It was great. We have the best fans in the league and it was terrific to see them give him the reception that they did. It was definitely well-deserved.”

(On thinking about the playoffs):
“We need to just keep taking it one game at a time. There’s really nothing flashy, crazy or out of the box that we are doing right now. We have just got to keep trying to get better every day, whether it’s playing a game or practicing with contact or not practicing with contact. We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves because there are still some things that we need to try to iron out with Z back in the lineup before we get going in the playoffs.”

LEBRON JAMES

(On the fourth quarter defensively):
“They started to miss some shots and we also clamped down. The fourth quarter is winning time and we made our stamp on the game then.”

(On Z’s first home game back):
“We laughed and joked that it was the second-most anticipated comeback besides when Jordan retired. These fans and Z have something they cherish in one another and it was good to see the fans really appreciate him coming back. I was very delighted and happy to have him back as a part of this franchise.”

(On the Kings’ performance):
“Even with Tyreke out, they’ve got some good scorers. The Western Conference is very tough, but they’ve got some good pieces.”

(On Antawn Jamison playing at small forward):
“Tawn can definitely take advantage of the small three’s because he’s a natural four. His ability to post up really helps us a lot. He can guard three’s well too, which is really good for our team and we took advantage of that.”

(On balancing finishing the season strong and getting rest):
“We rest on off days and days we don’t have games. We want to close out the season playing the way we’ve been playing. We will take full advantage of our schedule (taking rest where we can) as we don’t play until Wednesday.”

(On upcoming stretch of games):
“We want to continue to play against the best, especially coming down the stretch. We look forward to (Milwaukee and Atlanta) coming into our house and then going on the road Sunday against Boston.”

ANTAWN JAMISON

(On Z coming back):
“He’s meant a lot to this community. He has been here his whole career. It seemed like it fit for him to come back here and get an opportunity to achieve something special. I’ve battled with him my whole career and now we’re teammates and it’s a good feeling. It was one of those things that was meant to happen and I’m glad that it did.”

(On the fan’s ovation for Z):
“It speaks for itself. He has been here for the bad and now the good, and it’s unfortunate that things happen as far as the business side and getting traded, but it’s fortunate that they were able to work something out. When he was gone, fans were saying how much they missed him and how much they wanted him to come back. It’s amazing what he has meant to this organization and, more importantly, to the community and the city of Cleveland.”

(On being on the floor with Z):
“It moves me to the three a little bit more and when they post me up, it opens the floor a little bit more. He is a five that can stretch the floor and knock down a jumper. We are still trying to get everything down chemistry-wise offensively. He’s been in the system for a while, which has made it easier for me. Defensively we all have each other’s back. He has a high basketball IQ and he knows how to play the game and make the game easy.”

(On playing the three position):
“When LeBron sits down, they want me to come in and play the three. The thing about it is when I play the three, I can post up most three’s in this league, and that is what I’m successful at as far as getting on the post and using my quickness and my strength a little bit. It’s one of those things where I have been given an opportunity to put the ball in the basket. My teammates have done a good job of getting me the ball where I can be successful and I have been able to do that lately. Talking to LeBron and the coaching staff, they want me to be aggressive and do the things that I have been doing my whole career.”

ZYDRUNAS ILGAUSKAS

(On the fan’s reception):
“It was great. It was a little emotional the whole day. The crowd was awesome as they always have been for me throughout the years. It was something that I will remember for a long time. People appreciate what I have done over the years and I appreciate what they have done for me and my family for the last 14 years.”

(On his feelings before the game):
“I haven’t been nervous before a basketball game in a long time. From the time I woke up, I just wanted to get here and start playing because it’s been a long time. We got a win so it was a good day.”

(On going forward in the season):
“For myself personally, I know I have to keep working and get better. Each game I feel better and better as far as basketball goes. We have a chance to win it all and that is my only wish for this year.”

(On the team’s championship prospects):
“We have the best record in the NBA. I always thought that if you knock on the door long enough, eventually it will open and we’ve been knocking for a while and came up short a couple of times. Something feels special about this year.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Celtics

Sacramento Kings Head Coach Paul Westphal

How the game unfolded
“It was two different games for us. I thought the second half we really got it going. We played the way we think were supposed to play and we made it interesting. We couldn’t come all the way back because the first half was too much of a whole but I liked what I saw the second half. I was really worried about our ball handling going into this game because Francisco’s wrist has been bothering him on the hand that he broke. Obviously Tyreke’s out and Beno was our only ballhandler. To play Rondo and the Celtics, as aggressive as they are and as good as their defense is, we figured the turnovers would be a problem and they were. But we controlled those a lot better in the second half as well. We played some decent defense and the Celtics were missing as well and we got ourselves back into the game. We got a lot of good performances. Carl showed why we’re so high on him. Jason Thompson got it going in the second half. Sean May was ready to play when Spencer went out with his back. Donte’ Greene did a nice job. I thought Dominic McGuire in the starting role was very solid. So we lost to a great team.”

“Well I was worried about it. We only had two ballhandlers and I’ve been wanting to give Dominic a chance and it’s been hard. But I figure with Pierce, Lebron James and Granger coming up we’ll give him a chance.”

Dominic McGuire

Looking forward to getting chance against Pierce, Lebron and Granger coming up
“Definitely. Those were my assignments last year when I was starting so I’m real familiar with those guys, looking forward to the challenge. Just trying to help this team win moving forward.”

How did you feel about the way the game went
“I’m glad we stuck with it, came back and made it a game. It was a tough first half but we battled back and that’s all you can ask playing against a team like that. They’re a great team, they’re competing for a championship. For a young team like this, this is what you gotta measure yourself against. So it was big for us.”

Carl Landry

Making it a close game second half
“Well we just kept fighting. That’s been our story pretty much all year. Well, not all year, but since I’ve been on the team, just to keep fighting. It’s a 48 minute game and we didn’t give up. This game is played in spurts and runs and things like that. We made a run, they made a run, we just kept fighting.”

Coming off New Jersey game with big game tonight
“I just wanted to be aggressive. Bll wasn’t falling in New Jersey and we really didn’t play well as a team. To lose to one of the worst teams in NBA history is tough. We just wanted to come out and be aggressive tonight and unfortunately we didn’t come up with the win. But we kept fighting and that’s what we want at the end.”

Getting comfortable with the offense
“I’m getting better every game, every practice everyday, every film session. I’m getting more comfortable with the offense, getting more comfortable with my teammates. I’m getting more comfortable with the coaching staff. It will come, it’s only going to get better. I’m still a young player, it’s only my third year in the league and it’s only going to get better.”

Boston Celtics Head Coach Doc Rivers

Losing most of a 20-point lead:
“I thought we stopped playing. You know, I wasn’t real happy with it. It was really difficult for me to put the starters back in. I was just going to – but I did. So, it wasn’t the bench’s fault either. And I told the starters that. I thought – I think it was 24, I don’t even know what it was – but I thought before they went out it was 18 and I thought that was the difference. They had a chance. We had the ball three or four or five times with the 24 lead, had a chance to get it to 30, and I thought we didn’t because of the way we started playing. And that allowed them to get to 18. Without Nate, putting Tony in at the point, I just thought it was – now their margin of error was a four-point swing and they had to come out. So I didn’t think it was fair to the bench. It looked like it was the bench’s fault, and it really was not. But we won the game, and t hat’s what you’re trying to do. The only thing is we’re trying to, you know, become a 48-minute team and we were not. But there was – I told them, I’m not going to let that cloud how well we played for two and a half quarters. That was terrific basketball. We were getting stops, the ball was moving. And everything was great. So overall when I watch the film, I’ll watch that.”

Was he upset with Glen Davis:
“Yeah. You don’t get a tech in that situation. When you’re up 18 points, clearly again your team’s struggling, you’re not Garnett or one of those guys. You don’t get the liberty to talk anyway to the officials. I don’t know, clearly he earned it, I guess. But you just don’t get it. And he wasn’t playing well anyway at that point. So, but I thought he was playing like the score and I just told him he’s not at that point yet in his life where he can turn it on or off. And we need him to be an every-possession player. And didn’t think he was that tonight.”

Winning the Atlantic Division for the third year in a row:
“Well, I didn’t know. I guess I didn’t know that. So I guess that’s good. It’s obviously not what we’re trying to do. I mean, it’s nice. Twenty years from now when I’m bragging to my grandkids and lying…but I don’t think…You know, obviously when you have a team with your goals so high, you don’t really focus on it.”

Success at start of the game:
“Just getting stops. I thought we were getting great shots. I thought the first couple actually we took quick shots. But then after that we were getting wide-open shots and guys would make them. It doesn’t ever bother me. The thing I do like about that is a month ago we would’ve been down 10 or 15 and now our team is starting to find – get that old feeling that we’re a defensive team. And if we have a bad stretch offensively, let our defense do the talking. And I think that stretch did that for us.”

Perkins’ knee:
“It’s tendonitis. You know I guess it’s been bothering him for a while, but I didn’t know to how bad it was. And (Trainer) Eddie (Lacerte) right after the game the other night came to me and said, ‘Hey you’ve got to talk Perk into sitting down because it’s not working with me.’ So we just had a little conversation and you know even like Nate wanted to come back in in the second half; his ankle was huge. And you know you just got to get our guys to understand that it’s about being healthy. And right. And that was the conversation I had with Perk.”

Kevin Garnett

Was the team disappointed that they had to come back in the forth.
“No, I mean we were set up right there, to blow the game open, and I mean we didn’t do a really good job at finishing the game off, but I thought that we came out with pretty decent energy. But, for the most part, we didn’t feel over all that we didn’t give the bench enough room for error, if you will, to come in and play and make mistakes and all of the that, you we are down a couple of guys and all of that other stuff. We know we can play better, we will play better, but we never mind playing, you don’t want to get that messed up, or misconstrue anything like that.
You know when you play, you play to open up the lead, and get a certain margin so that you have the freedom to sit down, but anytime you have to come in the game, that’s cool either way. I feel like at that same time, what we were trying to do, was open the game up.”

What is it like to win the division title three games in a row.
“I wasn’t even aware of that. I don’t think that anybody in the locker room said anything like that. I think tonight we were more appreciative of Rondo, and his accomplishments. Anytime you get any kind of record in this organization on a team like what we have, is a huge thing. We are just of appreciative of being in the moment, being here, being apart of it. It is a very special moment, and no one even talked about the division title tonight. Tonight was Rondo’s night.”

How impressive was Rondo’s record.
“Any time you get any record, whether it be assists or steals, or rebounds. Records don’t just fall in your lap. A great effort, and anticipation. I have never been no where near steals and all of that. The anticipation is a gamble at times, but you know we understand Rondo’s game and we all do different things. We know that nine out of ten times he is solid. He does gamble, eight out of ten times he is right. The two we have to make up for, but at the same time when we mess up, he is there to help us, so it eases its self out at the end of the day. It’s a great accomplishment and a big pat on the back for him.”

Rajon Rondo

What is your perspective on your record and more records down the road.
“It may mean more to me one I retire or I am away from here. I am just focused on winning. It is a great accomplishment. This organization has won so many championships and has had some great players come through; so many all-stars have set records here, hopefully down the line another record. At the end of the day I am just trying to focus on getting wins and as an individual accomplishment, they come in the path of doing great things for the team.”

Talk about your 18 assists tonight.
“The best out is just getting shots. Kevin made a lot of shots, Ray made shots as well. The team made shots. I just try and give them the ball. Easy position as possible, but what I was proud about was the turn over, the turn over ratio. I was just trying to keep taking care of the ball. At times I turned down a couple of shots because I was trying to pass it, but other than that, I was just happy taking care of the ball and keeping the turn overs down.”

Ray Allen

Difference in first and second half
“I just think down the stretch we didn’t make shots. They didn’t do anything great, we had a lot of great looks we just didn’t knock them down.”

Establishing home momentum
“Every day is a new day. Its great to be able to get a win and create that momentum going forward, but we have San Antonio Sunday and we want to have a great start and a great finish then too.”

Rondo breaking steals record
“He just creates uncertainty. Point guards just don’t know exactly what to expect, making them so uncomfortable out there on the floor. He’s just so quick, has long arms, before you know it the ball’s going in the other direction.”

Paul and Ray staying aggressive despite age
“Well I believe that even in practice you have to work on the small little things with your explosiveness, not settling for the trey ball, trying to get into the gaps. The mid range shot is so important as we get older, but then you see those gaps, you have to go right after it and attack the bigs. Both of us, we try not to settle. Just seeing the game and what the defense is giving us.”

Rondo’s passing tonight and play of late.
“He is, and its important that we get the ball out. Get it out, if the team scores a lot we have to get it up the floor, and that’s where we are most dangerous.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings @ Nets

Sacramento Head Coach Paul Westphal

(On game)
“I would say it’s not even really close, so far, by miles and miles our worst game of the year in every way. It’s hard for me to expound much deeper then that. We turned the ball over too much, we fouled too much, we didn’t do a good job defensively, we didn’t do a good job rebounding and we couldn’t hit shots and our bench gave us nothing. I said before we have never played this bad this year. I’m not going to dismiss this team because of one horrible game, but you have to call it a horrible game. You have to say that, there is nothing we can take from this game that we think we can build on. I’m not going to give our team the excuse of fatigue, it’s possible, we looked fatigued.”

Kings guard Omri Casspi

(on the game…)
“We need to focus on ourselves. We played terrible. We didn’t play our game. We didn’t get the shots we wanted, whether it was my teammates or me It was a tough loss for us.”

(on the level of play in the NBA…)
“Everything is tougher. The level of play and the quality and style of play.”

(on the support from the Jewish and Israeli community…)
“I can’t express it in words. It’s great. I’m very grateful. I want to keep getting better. I feel blessed to be in this position. To be the first one from my country in the NBA is a special thing.”

Kings forward Carl Landry

(on the game….)
“They were the better team. There is not much else to say. They played hard and went after loose balls. They executed. We want to win every game. Not just this game. Every team in this league can play.”

(on using this game as motivation..)
“You can’t hold on to a game like this. You have to use this game as motivation to go out and there and become better. You have to execute. You need to do things you don’t normally do when times are hard to fight through. I don’t know man. They played hard and executed. I give them credit. ”

Nets Interim Head Coach Kiki Vandeweghe

(Biggest thing that stands out … )
“Tonight was effort. We came for 48 minutes. We played very hard on the defensive end. This is one the hardest we’ve played and when we do that we get a lot of transition baskets, we rebound well, our weak side was great. It makes the game a lot easier to play if you’re not taking it out of the basket all the time.”

(Brook Lopez running the floor … )
“Brook is an extremely talented big man. He runs the floor well he’s unique in that aspect in that he can go to the low post. He is extremely valuable to any team. He’s a center piece that we can build around. Devin Harris did a tremendous job. Courtney Lee did a tremendous job defensively but it was a group effort. I am proud of the guys for the effort they put forth tonight. It was a tough night. We came out and we’ve been playing very hard. But it was nice to see them gather around and they really got together and said lets get this done.”

(On the death of his Mom … )
“In regards to that, my mother was obviously very special to all of our family, to me and to my father, known here around New York as Dr. Ernie. I talked to my dad about it and he said she would of wanted me here. She knows that I love this and we love it as a family but what I’d like to say is, thanks mom we got one.

Nets Guard Devin Harris

(On playing hard for 48 minutes … )
“Close to it, 46.4 minutes. I thought our big guys did a good job protecting the rim, rebounding the ball. Our guards did enough and made enough shots on the perimeter and we got some transition buckets though our defense. I thought we contested shots all night long and obviously it shows in the field goal percentage.”

(On keeping the lead .. )
“We did, we increased the lead and when they made a run they knocked it down to about nine in the fourth quarter and we responded with a run of our own. We even saw some zone and we sort of figured that out. So we conquered some of our ills, third quarter woes, shooting percentage in the fourth quarter, and the zone.”

(On the near make before the end of the half … )
“I thought for sure that was in but we’ll take it. It was a good shot but the guys really responded.”

Nets Center Brook Lopez

(On the game … )
“I think our defensive intensity, first and foremost, we helped the helper a lot and just ran off that. We limited them to one shot, got turnovers and just pushed it.”

(On breaking through and winning … )
“Obviously it’s a good feeling. We’ve had about a week and a half of great practices. And we just want to continue this momentum through the game on Friday.”

(On Devin saying this is a must win game … )
“Every game is a must win game for us. We have to come out with that same urgency first and third quarter.”

(On transition baskets … )
“I tried to do it a lot. It just really clicked and got some easy ones. Courtney and Devin gave great looks.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Grizzlies

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“Those of you that have been watching closely all year know that I don’t come up here and make excuses very often, anyway I try not to. But to me, our team just simply ran out of gas tonight. I thought that both Beno (Udrih) and Francisco (Garcia) played a lot of minutes yesterday and did a great job. They both have to play a lot of minutes – they’re our only two true guards on the roster right now. They played a lot of minutes tonight and we were so sharp for really the first quarter and a half and then our sharpness left us, let them get back in the game. Then at the start of the third quarter we did a poor job of being the aggressor and let them be the aggressor. They got to the penalty real early and we got outrebounded by (7) rebounds in the third quarter alone. We kept fighting back and then it was 80 to 80 and you could just see our tires got flat. They wouldn’t miss on top of that and we were playing catch-up the rest of the way. So we had to pull our goalie and try to get ourselves back into shooting threes; that didn’t work either. They kept making everything and that was it. I’m proud of our guys. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, it had a lot of great stretches, but I think we ran out of gas.”

On Beno Udrih:
“He was very good. He couldn’t maintain it for 43 minutes and you could see that he was really tired. It would have been nice to be able to rest him a little bit more but he was outstanding. With back to back games, he did everything you could ask for from anybody in that position.”

“It was basically (O.J.) Mayo – Mayo got hot. He was making some of the same shots he was missing earlier. He’s the kind of player that can score in bunches and he’s coming off those picks and shooting with range. We weren’t maybe closing out quite as quickly, but on the other hand those are shots that he can make and did make. Then, all of a sudden, what was a really tight game – they had a lot of breathing room and we had to start taking chances. That’s seldom a good recipe for success.”

On Tyreke Evans:
“I don’t know the details about when he’ll be back. The main thing that I want is for him to be completely cleared from the doctor and ready to come back. So we’ll have him when we have him. I saw that they’re anticipating (his return) probably in Boston – that’d be great. But we don’t want to rush him at all. We want him when he’s fully healed and don’t want to take any chances with a head injury. I just coach the game – I haven’t talked to the doctor since I came out. So we’ll follow whatever the doctors say.”

On Carl Landry:
“Landry is a very, very legitimate low-post and mid-range scorer. He’s an outstanding pick up for us and games like this really are no surprise. I think that he’s already shown the ability to be consistently excellent over his three years in the league and I think he’s going to do nothing but get better.”

Beno Udrih

On getting tired in the fourth quarter
“Yeah I was a little bit (tired), but we made that late run. We tied the game up, but after they took the timeout they knocked down some big shots. We just ran out of gas. We were trying and doing everything that we could. It’s not like they were making wide open shots, we played by the minutes.”

On his plan for tonight
“I was just trying to be aggressive, especially with Tyreke out. Someone has to bring the energy and that is what I was trying to do. I was trying to make shots and find my teammates. Basically, I was just trying to play my game.”

On the Grizzlies
“They have been together for a while now. They added a couple new pieces this year, but they are playing great. They have been consistent this year and they are trying to fight for a playoff spot. They are just consistent and are playing great.”

Comparing Memphis to Oklahoma City
“Basically they are the same (the Oklahoma City Thunder). We can hopefully learn something from them this year and get better next year.”

On the upcoming road trip
“We have some games coming up on the road trip and we can definitely win some. We will get some good rest tonight and then go out there with the poise and energy we had yesterday and try to win a couple games.”

On Tyreke’s injury
“I heard that he will be playing Friday, but they don’t want to rush him because you never know. We don’t know how Tyreke is going to feel, but hopefully he comes back as soon as he can.

Francisco Garcia

On having a sluggish fourth quarter for the Kings
“I was a little tired in the fourth. It was a back-to-back and tonight was a tough game. We were right there. Our shots just weren’t falling. We got some good looks, but they just were not falling for us.”

On Memphis getting hot
“They are good. O.J. Mayo had about four straight buckets. He had some good plays. I was surprised that we just ran out of gas at the end. They have a lot of talent and they are a good young team.”

On upcoming road trip
“The road trips are always tough, especially when you have five games in a row. You just have to go out there and take it one game at a time. We have to get some wins.”

Memphis Grizzlies Head Coach Lionel Hollins

Turning the game around…
“I think the focus and execution offensively and defensively was much better in the second half. We held them to 33 points after giving up 52 in the first half. I kept telling the guys that it’s a defensive focus. We can get what we want offensively, we just needed to play defense and execute. Plus we started running a little bit more in the second half. When the Kings made the run it wasn’t a tough run but it was a run and O.J. got hot and just put the game away.”

Zach Randolph’s performance…
“I’m proud and happy for Zach. He set the franchise record for total rebounds in the season and he is a big factor for why we are sitting here with 38 wins right now. It’s because of his play down low in the post and his defensive and offensive rebounding.”

Team’s defense…
“It had to do more with focus and energy. First half we were just letting them do whatever they wanted. Second half we got in our pick-and-roll defense, made a little bit of an adjustment, and we did a much better job of not letting them turn the corner. We controlled that aspect of their offense a little better. It was very effective. They didn’t have the opportunity to go into the post a lot because all of their post guys were sitting on the bench with fouls.”

O.J. Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies Guard

Tonight’s performance…
“I was struggling. I was getting shots that I thought I could hit. I was taking good ones, but they just weren’t falling for me. The guys did a great job of setting screens and getting me going a little bit. The guys found me. It was a good team effort to get me going.”

Shooter’s mentality…
“If I’m not really rolling, I’m trying to do other things defensively and offensively try to be a playmaker. Tonight I was just getting good looks but they just weren’t falling. In the fourth quarter got a little stretch when it was falling.”

Tonight’s defense…
“I think coming out we kind of underestimated a player like Beno Udrih because Tyreke Evans was out so maybe we relaxed a little bit tonight. But every time we play Beno, he always does a good job against us. We just had to slow him down. He just got it going early. Mike Conley and the team did a great job of shadowing him. Then (Carl) Landry came in and he got in some foul trouble and that helped us out a little bit.”

Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies Forward

Tonight’s defense…
“We started to get stops. We started to get rebounds. I think in the first half the Kings were getting us on the boards. We started to get stops and get in transition. O.J. caught on fire and Thabeet played great. We hit big shots and got the win.”

Setting the record for rebounds in a single game…
“It means a lot to me to come in get a win and set a record. I worked hard this summer. I have a great supporting cast. It definitely means a lot to me.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Bucks

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“That was a tough loss to absorb. That was the second hottest team in the NBA and we did everything to earn that win except to cash in the win at the end. I thought that we made our free throws down the stretch, we made them take the shots we wanted them to take for the most part and they hit some shots that defy description. All you can really say is it had to be their night. I thought we played well enough to win that game in so many ways. It’s just a tough one to take when you have to look at the loss in the standings on your record when we played as well as we did against a team that is that good. There are things to learn from it and we will learn from it. There were times in milking the shot clock we didn’t get into our offense soon enough and that’s kind of a quibble. I don’t think it’s anything I’m going to be too upset about but we need to get better at that, no question about it. That game was there and they started making shots that ordinarily they take those shots the game is over, it’s in our pocket. So that was a tough one.”

“Tyreke (Evans) has a concussion. He has some damage to his teeth and his jaw. There will be more tests. He obviously isn’t going with us to LA. We have no idea how long he’ll be out or how serious the injury is until the doctors are able to really examine him with all the equipment they have so that’s the update on that.”

“I think our team played a superb game. We really did everything we could except have more points at the end of the game. I’m very proud of the way we’re playing and competing against one of the top teams in the league.”

“I’m a big believer in fouling when the situation warrants it. When (Ersan) Ilyasova hit that shot he was highly contested, and I think there were maybe 20 seconds left on the game clock – it was too early to foul. I like to foul in the last few seconds. But that shot, that was a one out of 50 (that he’d make) and I don’t think that would’ve been the right play. I do like fouling but it’s a play you have to be careful of and when a guy is taking a shot that’s a low percentage I think it would be a shame to foul in that situation.”

“We were trying to get the ball to Carl (Landry) a lot, believe it or not. They did a good job of denying him and sometimes when he was hot we ran plays away from him that as we get a little more familiar with each other, we won’t do that. All of our offense is not going to somebody either; a lot of times we just get some motion and cuts. We’re confident in all our players and we did that a lot of times too.”

“Beno (Udrih) started off real cold even though he was getting great shots in the first quarter. He kept getting the shots and Beno is a really good shooter and they started to go for him. I wish that one would have gone down at the end – he made a great play and the ball just rolled off. It’s that kind of night but Beno had an outstanding game at both ends of the floor.”

Carl Landry

On Andrew Bogut
“We know that at any given time he is capable of going off. He can score 20, 30, 40 points any night. He is a good player and one of the best big men in the league. We did a good job, but at the end of the night they came out with the victory.”

On the overtime
“They (the Bucks) did a good job of executing their stuff. When they threw it into (Andrew) Bogut and then passed to (Brandon) Jennings then he hit it. That was a good job of executing offense. The first time he caught it in the post and made a right handed hook shot, the second time we thought they were going to do the same and they set a flare on the weak side. They just did a really good job of executing their stuff tonight. That is why they are where they are at. They did a good job of executing.”

On the physical play especially in second half
“It was an overtime game. They may have had to let some calls go and let us play. It wasn’t like that tonight and some things just didn’t go our way and we didn’t get the win.”

On Tyreke injury
“I know that I shot the ball and then tried to get the offensive rebound. Tyreke was right there and unfortunately I got the offensive foul. Tyreke said that he got hit by Ilyasova. He will be alright.”

On John Salmons fitting with the Bucks
“It is something that they needed. When Michael Redd went down, I knew that with the trade with Salmons, that he was going to be able to fit in. It fits just perfectly. That is someone that they needed in Milwaukee, a shooting guard/small forward to come in and be offensively aggressive. That is the type of player that John Salmons in and he fits in perfectly with that system.”

Beno Udrih

On Tyreke’s injury
“It was a really tough finish and Tyreke got hit in his mouth. It’s always tough. Tyreke is the guy that a lot of teams are concentrating on and he gets hit often. It is what it is. We just have to forget about this loss and we have to go to L.A. and try to get the win.”

On the game plan tonight
“I was just trying to be aggressive. In the last games I wasn’t aggressive enough, so I thought I have to do something. I switched gears and was trying to be aggressive. I don’t like to look at myself when I had a good game and my team losses. I’d rather score 10 points less and win.”

On Brandon Jennings
“He is a good player. He knows what his game is. He was shooting great tonight. He definitely made some big shots for them and they got the win.”

Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach Scott Skiles

On being down nine with three minutes left in regulation
“We were able to steal it. We were able to execute well after some timeouts and got some baskets and Ersan Ilyasova hit the big one. We were very fortunate to have that on a night where we didn’t play that well.”

On the play of Brandon Jennings
“I thought Brandon was good. He made a bunch of big plays for us. For most of the game, we didn’t have our typical defensive effort. But, we hung in there, gave ourselves a chance and then we were able to take advantage of it.

On the play of Ersan Ilyasova
“He was very good on the glass. Ersan is very good that, even if he can’t get the rebound, he at least gets a finger on it and maybe someone else gets it. His activity was good for us for sure.”

“(Carl) Landry is a tough matchup for him because he is so broad. He did a nice job. He got his body in there and tried to take charges. As we mentioned, he was on the glass and hit the biggest shot. We don’t have a chance if he doesn’t hit that shot.”

On whether he was pleased by the win
“Well, I am pleased with the win. The game in total, we had too many possessions, much like the Clippers game, where we weren’t at full throttle. We were able to stay close enough and give ourselves a chance and make big plays. The guys hung tough on a night where we didn’t play as well. It was very similar to the Clippers game. This game, when we were able to make up ground, we were able to take advantage of it.”

On John Salmons guarding Tyreke Evans
I thought he was very good. He really stood out with his defense on Tyreke. He denied him the ball, he got in front of him when he could, and got some help, but for the most part played him really well one-on-one.

Milwaukee Bucks Guard Brandon Jennings

On pulling out the hard fought win
“We just kept fighting. Ersan hit a big three. John Salmons hit a few big threes. I traveled on that one play, but I was able to get it to John Salmons. But hey, we just kept fighting and that is why we are at where we are at. We just keep fighting and we never get up.”

On the rookie race on
“Right now, it’s not about me. It’s about my teammates. John Salmons played good today. Andrew Bogut played good today. Ersan hit some big shots. Like I told you this morning, my job is to make sure Andrew Bogut is an all-star every year and make sure everyone gets better and make sure we make the playoffs every year. So a win like this, this is like a playoff game. We just kept fighting.”

Postgame Quotes: Kings vs. Lakers

KINGS HEAD COACH PAUL WESTPHAL

“I can’t come in here and be super down about our effort against the NBA Champions. It’s really fantastic to have this building full. Even though there were too many Lakers fans for my taste, it’s a great thing to have that support. I thought we played a good basketball game in a lot of ways – solid. We need to get a few more rebounds against a team that has great size, need to knock down a few more shots and need to make a few more experienced plays that the Lakers are great at because of how long they’ve been together, their cohesiveness and how good they are. I was pleased with our team. I thought there were a lot of good things – but we have to move on to the next one.”

“I thought Tyreke (Evans) missed some lay-ups that he usually makes – I don’t think Ron (Artest) had much to do with it. I doubt if Ron would say he had much to do with it. Tyreke got where he needed to go, made great decisions – he had 25 points, 11 rebounds, nine assists, one turnover. If that’s stopping (Tyreke), I’d like someone to stop him every night.”

“If you remember Parish, McHale and Bird, that was a pretty tall frontline too. You have to go to the great teams to find anybody to compare this Laker team to. They can put up a lineup out there that gives them a size mismatch at every position. They decided to play Kobe (Bryant) at point, (Ron) Artest at two with (Lamar) Odom, (Pau) Gasol and (Andrew) Bynum – that’s a very long, versatile, experienced team. They present problems for anybody with their mismatches.”

“I thought that Jason (Thompson), Omri (Casspi), Francisco (Garcia) and (Andres) Nocioni really brought a lot of energy out there off the bench and did a great job in the second quarter. We did well in the second half too. The Lakers’ bench hit some more shots in the second half – we were trying to get them to shoot outside and they finally started hitting some. That gave them a little bit of space and that was all they needed.”

“We felt that offensively we could get some good shots against their length. Our bigs are all good shooters, they have good midrange games and we were able to hurt them that way but they hurt us more inside. Gasol and Bynum were really too tall for us to stop them but when we started double-teaming them we took chances on making them miss some threes and they didn’t miss enough of them.”

Tyreke Evans

On his plan for the night
“When you are playing against the (NBA) champs, you have to be pumped. From the get go tonight my goal was to come out and attack.”

On his spin move for a layup in the 1st quarter
“I caught him (Ron Artest) off guard and he tried to cut to the left and I spun to the right.”

On sensing if the team is growing together
“Definitely. Coach said that we just have to put it all together. The Lakers have been together for a long time and we just all got together. We have to keep working and play as a team.”

On knowing if he was one assist shy of his second triple double
“No, I didn’t know. It would have been nice to get it, but it didn’t happen.”

On going against the Lakers
“It’s tough. Sometimes, guys like Ron Artest let you beat them, but then Andrew Bynum will get a block shot. Two big guys, it is tough to get a shot over them. I was trying to kick the ball out and find the open guy for the shots. If we would have (made) more shots and (got more) rebounds we would have won the game.”

Carl Landry

On the Lakers play tonight
“They just execute their stuff and they run their stuff well. They keep fighting. Andrew Bynum got off to a good start and was able to get second chance points down low. Pau Gasol just kept coming and kept making jump shots, a couple left handed. They just kept planning and executed their offense in the end.”

On having a full house of mostly Lakers fans
“When I came out, I was really surprised. I thought we were almost playing in the Staples Center. I have never seen anything like that before. I know we are in California, but to see all those Lakers fans out there was kind of disappointing, but at the same time it was kind of motivating knowing that if we continue to work hard and do the right things and win ball games, then those Lakers fans could be Kings fans.

On the Lakers front line
“You just have to adjust. For me that is just an advantage being shorter and playing against guys who are bigger than me, I just go right by them. That is an advantage, so I like playing against them. Obviously tonight I didn’t really show it at all and I didn’t have the game I wanted to have, but playing against bigger guys is an advantage for me. It isn’t a disadvantage at all.”

On where the Lakers are right now
“I’m not sure. I am not even worried about the Lakers, I just worry about us. I am worried about us getting better every day, every practice and every game. I don’t care what is going on over there. I could care less.”

Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson

Tonight’s game…
“Our second quarter was the nemesis for us again tonight. Our group went out there and went 0-for-8 (in the second quarter). Four guys went out there to play that role. It put them right back in the game, gave them some energy. Then (Lamar) Odom got the technical foul and it contributed to that energy and resurgence for them. We came out the second and played the game that we wanted to play.”

Andrew Bynum’s performance…
“I think we have a better idea what and how to use Drew. Inside he got the resurgence after he really hurt his hip and knee bruise. There were a couple of things physically that kept him from having the power that he likes to have in the post.”

Tyreke Evans’ performance…
“Tonight he almost had a triple-double. He showed a lot of capability against a strong defensive player like Ron Artest.”

Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers Center

Tonight’s game…
“We had one let up in the second quarter. If we cleaned that up …..”

Ron Artest, LA Lakers Forward

Playing in Sacramento…
“There is no feeling. It’s just mute. Right now we’re just trying to win.”

Tyreke Evans’ game…
“He’s a good player. He’s playing like he’s Rookie of the Year.”

Pau Gasol, LA Laker Forward

Comparing Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry…
“They are different players. Obviously Curry has great ball handling and shooting skills. Tyreke plays well in the lane and uses his size really well. They have different games. They are both great players and have a bright future in front of them.”

Kobe Bryant, LA Lakers Guard

Back-to-back games…
“We’re playing the right way in terms of effort. We’re playing with the right energy to win games. That’s a big step. That’s the kind of things I want to see, playing with more urgency.”

Close games against the Sacramento Kings…
“I think we’re alert, period. I don’t think it mattered who were playing. Right now I think we are alert for sure and that kind of makes us pay more attention because we’ve had difficulties within the season.”

Playing against Curry last night and Tyreke Evans tonight…
“Tyreke is a grown man. Stephen Curry is a phenomenal player. They are completely different players so you can’t compare the two. I might be a little biased too because I’m from Philadelphia and so is Tyreke. Philly guys just have the all-around game, that’s just kind of how it is.”

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