HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS
“Well I think my two major disappointments tonight were giving up 38 points [in the fourth] at home is tough and obviously we didn’t shoot the ball well from three. That made a difference. We win each of the first three quarters and we should play well enough defensively to hold them off but obviously our poor shooting affected that as well.”
Was Turner’s back bothering him?
“Yes… The first half, he was out for the rest of the first half and then he got treatment at halftime.”
What do you think happened defensively in the fourth?
“Well they got off to a good start. We went under on some screens, they made shots, they went 5 for 6 from three. I mean Morris hits a big shot. Some it obviously, credit to them that they made shots. 5 for 6 from three in a quarter is going to make it a pretty good quarter but I think it’s more how they got them, going under a screen or losing a man or whatever that is. They executed well and got some shots at the rim so it’s a combination of things. They got some extra possessions, they got some offensive rebounds.”
How would you describe offense in the fourth?
“It was alright. It’s hard to evaluate - when you play better defense you get some run-outs. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league. They make it difficult for you in the half court. I thought because we defended well in the first three quarters, it gave us opportunities to run and not have to play against their half court defense most of the night.”
Aminu has had double figure scoring in five straight, how important is he down the stretch?
“Everybody’s important. We’ve kind of evolved. One or two guys may have a night. Certainly Dame and CJ, we rely on them. Farouq’s been on a good roll. To be honest, I was really pleased more with his defense than anything. I thought his matchup with Horford was a tough matchup and I thought he defended him well. We knew they’d probably go to a smaller lineup with Morris and Horford at 4-5 and I wanted to keep Farouq on Horford. So Farouq is a very important part of what we do at both ends.”
On upcoming road trip:
“It’s going to be a tough road trip. It starts with Oklahoma City and obviously that game has a lot of importance.”
DAMIAN LILLARD
What happened in the fourth quarter?
“I just thought we let our guard down a little bit. We had a good game going defensively, we weren’t making a lot of shots but we were making enough shots to go along with the way we were defending. We had a 10 point lead to start the fourth and I just thought we let our guard down. They started to make some shots. Their bench got into it and they got going. They’re a team – they’ve been playing shorthanded all year. They’ve beat some good teams. They beat us in Boston and you can’t give them that life. I thought once we had them down 10, we should have been in the fourth quarter looking to be the first team to make a run and make them call the first timeout. But they got themselves going to start the fourth. They got rolling, they started moving the ball to each other, guys were making shots, started making some tough ones, getting the extra possessions, going to the line. We just let one slip tonight.”
Is there a tendency to have a letdown after a win streak dissolves in the next game?
“I wouldn’t say a letdown. I think any time you can have a streak of 13 games, that means you did a lot of good things. A team is focused and you also need a little bit of luck, you need things to go your way. When that I guess is up, you lose the game. We lost a tough one to Houston. You’ve got to be able to deal with the times when it doesn’t go in your favor. I think tonight, you’ve got to give a lot of credit to the Celtics. They made a lot of hustle plays and guys stepped up and made big shots and we didn’t.”
On losing this game ahead of big game Sunday vs. OKC:
“It’s a huge game. We knew before this game ended that every game from here on out is a big game. Even though we let the game slip, we didn’t play – giving up 38 or whatever we gave up in the fourth, you’re never going to win the game like that, especially not a close one. But we’ve just got to keep fighting. We’ve got to keep working. I think we’ve given ourselves enough of a cushion to where we can move on to the next game. We’re not looking at it saying, alright it’s the end of the world. Obviously it’s a loss that we didn’t want, but it’s not the end of the world.”
On game vs OKC being against team behind you in the standings:
“It’s a good opportunity. You go in there and you can go up a game. It’s a big game and it’s going to be a tough one. Like I said, every game to the finish is important.”
