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Thursday, November 5, 2015 Final Score: POR 115, MEM 96
POR
HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS
“Well an understatement would be that was a very good win. Our offense was clicking after a slow start. I liked the shots we were getting early. We only had 18 points in the first quarter but I liked the looks we were getting. Our defense was pretty solid most of the night. We limited their points in the paint, limited their transition opportunities, rebounded the ball well and offensively, we just kind of caught fire. A lot of it was, we made shots obviously, but I really liked the way we passed the ball and played together.”
On pace:
“We always try to pick up the pace but good defensive teams don’t necessarily allow you to do that. They get back, but certainly any time we rebounded the ball we wanted to push it and see if we could get easy baskets so we didn’t have to play against a half-court defense.”
On limiting turnovers to 9:
“That was big. On the heels of last night against a team like Memphis with a low possession game, limiting our turnovers – we had 5 at half and 4 in the second half – that was a big key. I don’t know possessions, probably about 90 possessions as opposed to a 100 possession game so that was a big key for us.”
What do you like so far about these first six games?
“I like that we’re playing hard and that we’re playing together. That’s something that I want to be a staple for us. I think we’re finding our rhythm offensively. I think we’re finding different combinations playing together, but I think as long as we play hard and play together, I think that’s a solid combination.
On Leonard finding his shot tonight:
“I was happy for him. Like I said before the game, he didn’t all of a sudden become a bad shooter. He’s had some good looks and guys go through it. You’re not going to shoot 50, 60 percent every night. Probably the best thing for him, for us, is to fight through a tough patch. Going through an NBA season either as an individual or a team, you’re going to have rough stretches and you have to fight your way through. I’m glad he was able to have a game tonight.”
On Lillard’s performance:
“I was going to take him out but he told me not to. He really got in a groove. It’s been a while – well, it’s been three games in a row I guess, but he’s really in a nice rhythm with his shot. He’s running the team really well offensively, picking his spots well. I thought his teammates helped him find shots well. He got as many shots off the pass as he did as far as creating himself, I think that lends itself to good shooting as well.”
DAMIAN LILLARD
How did it feel to get a win against Memphis tonight?
“It felt great. I thought our team did a great job of playing with a sense of urgency. We played together and we trusted each other. It was a close game in the first half and we came in the locker room and we said that they’re a team that grinds and it would be easy for us to play a good half and go out there and let them wear us down but we came out in the second half and played with more energy. We came closer, we moved the ball even better, that led to us getting better shots and we knocked them down and we also played great defense for long stretches and obviously that played a huge factor.”
On performance in third quarter:
“…I didn’t make shots to begin the game, but I could just tell by how I felt, how the ball felt in my hands, how the even the misses, they felt like they were going in. With about three minutes left, coach was going to take me out the game and I asked him to keep me and that ended up being a huge three minutes for me. So I felt good, I think it was a great team performance but for me personally, I felt good.”
On only 9 turnovers tonight:
“The last few games, we’ve been turning the ball over a lot. Tonight we did a better job of taking care of the ball and that’s why we won by so many points because a lot of the possessions that we’ve been giving away, we had a lot of those possessions tonight. That’s what we’ve got to do going forward, we’ve got to value possessions more.”
Does win over MEM mean more given that they are best team you’ve faced or because of the past few seasons?
“I mean, we’ve had a hard time with them since I’ve been here and they’re probably the most respected team that we’ve played so far this season. I knew it would be a test for us because of who they are and I was really happy with the way we answered the call and the way we took the challenge.”
POR
HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS
“Well an understatement would be that was a very good win. Our offense was clicking after a slow start. I liked the shots we were getting early. We only had 18 points in the first quarter but I liked the looks we were getting. Our defense was pretty solid most of the night. We limited their points in the paint, limited their transition opportunities, rebounded the ball well and offensively, we just kind of caught fire. A lot of it was, we made shots obviously, but I really liked the way we passed the ball and played together.”
On pace:
“We always try to pick up the pace but good defensive teams don’t necessarily allow you to do that. They get back, but certainly any time we rebounded the ball we wanted to push it and see if we could get easy baskets so we didn’t have to play against a half-court defense.”
On limiting turnovers to 9:
“That was big. On the heels of last night against a team like Memphis with a low possession game, limiting our turnovers – we had 5 at half and 4 in the second half – that was a big key. I don’t know possessions, probably about 90 possessions as opposed to a 100 possession game so that was a big key for us.”
What do you like so far about these first six games?
“I like that we’re playing hard and that we’re playing together. That’s something that I want to be a staple for us. I think we’re finding our rhythm offensively. I think we’re finding different combinations playing together, but I think as long as we play hard and play together, I think that’s a solid combination.
On Leonard finding his shot tonight:
“I was happy for him. Like I said before the game, he didn’t all of a sudden become a bad shooter. He’s had some good looks and guys go through it. You’re not going to shoot 50, 60 percent every night. Probably the best thing for him, for us, is to fight through a tough patch. Going through an NBA season either as an individual or a team, you’re going to have rough stretches and you have to fight your way through. I’m glad he was able to have a game tonight.”
On Lillard’s performance:
“I was going to take him out but he told me not to. He really got in a groove. It’s been a while – well, it’s been three games in a row I guess, but he’s really in a nice rhythm with his shot. He’s running the team really well offensively, picking his spots well. I thought his teammates helped him find shots well. He got as many shots off the pass as he did as far as creating himself, I think that lends itself to good shooting as well.”
DAMIAN LILLARD
How did it feel to get a win against Memphis tonight?
“It felt great. I thought our team did a great job of playing with a sense of urgency. We played together and we trusted each other. It was a close game in the first half and we came in the locker room and we said that they’re a team that grinds and it would be easy for us to play a good half and go out there and let them wear us down but we came out in the second half and played with more energy. We came closer, we moved the ball even better, that led to us getting better shots and we knocked them down and we also played great defense for long stretches and obviously that played a huge factor.”
On performance in third quarter:
“…I didn’t make shots to begin the game, but I could just tell by how I felt, how the ball felt in my hands, how the even the misses, they felt like they were going in. With about three minutes left, coach was going to take me out the game and I asked him to keep me and that ended up being a huge three minutes for me. So I felt good, I think it was a great team performance but for me personally, I felt good.”
On only 9 turnovers tonight:
“The last few games, we’ve been turning the ball over a lot. Tonight we did a better job of taking care of the ball and that’s why we won by so many points because a lot of the possessions that we’ve been giving away, we had a lot of those possessions tonight. That’s what we’ve got to do going forward, we’ve got to value possessions more.”
Does win over MEM mean more given that they are best team you’ve faced or because of the past few seasons?
“I mean, we’ve had a hard time with them since I’ve been here and they’re probably the most respected team that we’ve played so far this season. I knew it would be a test for us because of who they are and I was really happy with the way we answered the call and the way we took the challenge.”
