WIZARDS HEAD COACH SCOTT BROOKS On tonight's game: "We just… That second half, particularly in that fourth quarter, we just couldn't get stops. [CJ] McCollum was feeling comfortable, their main guns were attacking and I think we put them on the free throw line way too many times in that fourth quarter, I don't even know how many we did." On closing out games: "We're fighting, we're battling every game. We just have to now finish out, close out games. These last two games we've had leads, you know seven points up less than a minute and a half, we need to win that game, both games. The only thing we can do is stay together and keep finding ways to help each other have success. They did, give them credit, they did a good job of making a lot of shots, they got to the free throw line and we couldn't stop their momentum. Offensively, about three or four shots were great just unlucky. It didn't fall for us." On Otto Porter Jr.: "He plays hard, he plays the right way, he competes. He always gives you good effort. Makes shots. This is obviously an adjustment period for us. Where we got to figure out ways to close the games, I thought we played a really good basketball game for three quarters and some change and then we just relaxed defensively and you get a lot of good players rhythm and it's tough to turn it off." On Thomas Satoransky and Tim Frazier: "I thought they competed and played hard. That's one thing both are going to do. They are going to play hard. They're not going to be mistake-free. I mean, everybody goes out there, you're going to make mistakes, but try to limit them as much as they can but I thought they played a solid basketball game. I think they can get better as this goes on until John [Wall] comes back."
WIZARDS GUARD BRADLEY BEAL On the game: “Man, I wish we could explain it. We got to stay aggressive. We got too complacent. We thought the game was over, the game was never over. They kept hitting and they were knocking down shots, getting stops when they need to and they closed it out. We didn’t. That’s two in a row for us in being in this type of situation. We have to be a lot better, for sure. On what needs to change so this doesn’t happen again: “Knowing time and just knowing time and score, pretty much. We were up 15 with nine minutes or however many minutes were to go. We have to realize if we get it up to 20 in the next couple of minutes, their Coach is probably going to take them out of the game. We have to have a better mindset of that, continue to keep our foot on the gas, man and just keep attacking on defense and on offense. We have to be a lot better. I got to close out games better. We all have to on both ends of the floor and we have to learn from it. We are getting tired of mad faces in the locker room after the game, especially after we were up 15 twice in this game. We have to close it out a lot better, for sure.” On the injuries: “It’s always next man up. You never want a guy to go on, but reality is it is what it is. John’s out, he’s going to be out for a little minute. We have to step up, I have to step up and be a lot better and lead the guys, get guys involved more. Tim (Frazier) is doing an excellent job of doing so running the team. Tomas (Satoransky) did a great job coming in as well. We got guys who are capable of doing it. We know John, those are big shoes to fill, but at the same time, we trust everybody to come in and contribute. From those two, they did an excellent job tonight. Tim did a great job guarding Damian (Lillard), Tomas did too. It’s frustrating for sure, but we know we move on from it. We don’t pout about it. We will just be men about it and move on to the next one.”
WIZARDS FORWARD OTTO PORTER On finishing games: "Towards the end of the game we have to find ways to keep [our defensive effort] up. We have to find ways to just be solid, especially with four minutes to go. We just really have to find ways to lock in and play for each other. You got to give [Portland] credit. They were knocking down shots. Their two main scorers got going in that fourth quarter. Once they get going, the basket gets big for them. We got to give them credit for getting their guys open." On trying to overcome two consecutive losses after taking a lead into the fourth quarter: "We just got to find ways to force the ball to move. We have to come together collectively as a group, defensively especially. But we are going to get our shots, it's just our defense. We can't be slackin’ in that fourth quarter, we have to stay alert." On sustaining runs for longer periods of time: "We know they were going to make a run. We just have to be solid. Basically play solid defense. Make every shot that they have tough. Limit them to one shot. They got a couple of offensive rebounds [and] they got a couple kickout threes. We have to find a way to make sure we contain that in the fourth quarter." On his playing style without John Wall in the lineup: "I was just being very aggressive [and] finding my spots. I was just being more physical defensively. Overall just be more aggressive....Everybody had to step up tonight, with one of our leaders out tonight."
TRAIL BLAZERS HEAD COACH TERRY STOTTS On tonight's game and his basketball signed by the team: "A little signed ball by everybody...Well, the ball was nice. But the win was great. It's not about my birthday, that was a big-time win. To come in here down by 17, and to not quit, and find a way to make plays at both ends. A lot of guys made good plays in the fourth quarter, we needed one of those." On the fourth quarter: Well, praise that whole group that played the fourth quarter. Everybody made plays. [Jusuf] Nurk[ic] was really good, defensively, blocked, I don't know how many shots, three, changed some [shots], got some rebounds. That was exceptional. I though Pat Connaughton worked his tail off on Beal, came up with some loose balls and a rebound. Obviously, CJ finally got going. Despite the foul troubles, Dame [Lillard] was leading the whole time. And Noah [Vonleh], Noah was just rebounding. So obviously that group did everything it needed to do." On CJ McCollum playing through foul trouble: "Well you know, down 17, we had to make a run. CJ with his 5th foul, we needed him, if we had any chance to win it we needed every play and there is just no way we could take him out. If he fouled out than he fouled out, but we needed him." On the team celebrating his birthday: "You know, Dame presented it to me. Everyone knows it’s my birthday so I've been getting birthday wishes all day, multiple times by the same people so the players have been great, staff, everybody. The practice facility did a video of everybody, but them giving me the ball was just the icing on the cake."
TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD CJ McCOLLUM On their performance tonight: “I think the most important thing is we got stops. We did a good job to holding them to one shot and limiting them to second chances opportunities and then trying to get out and run. Overall, you got to credit a lot of guys. A lot of guys did different things, and Pat [Connaughton] was great defensively, hit some big free-throws down the stretch and Dame [Damian Lillard] was great, Nurk [Nurkic] was huge for us. Everybody, everybody played a role in allowing us to have an opportunity to come back being down by so much in the 4th.” On coming close but not be able to get the lead: “You know you always have a chance because it is the NBA. You have a lot of talented players, and there is so much time in the game with the shot clock, and the ability to be able to make threes helps a lot. I think that we feel like we can win any game. We feel like regardless of the score, we always have a chance mainly because we have lost games we felt like we should have won so you know there is always a chance that you can come back regardless of the score.” On him being a clutch player: “Check the numbers. I might miss free-throws every now and then, but my body of work dating back to when I was in high-school, I hit big shots and I missed them sometimes and I can live with that. I put a lot of work in a lot of times and I mean look at the shot tonight, it was good defense, I just made the shot. The shot I missed in Memphis was more open than that and I was going to my left which is my preference so, I have all the confidence in the world and I can live with missing shots and I can live with people saying that I am not clutch because I know who I am, so it does not faze me.” On how where he feels the team is after this win: “We still have a long way to go but we win ugly games, we have lost some ugly games and obviously our record could be a lot better considering the circumstances, but if you look at the rest of the NBA and the rest of the Western Conference, there is a gap obviously between first and second with the Warriors record and the Rockets record, and the rest from three to eight may be a half a game to a game so each game is crucial. We are not the only team struggling, there are a lot of teams struggling to find themselves, struggling to find that camaraderie so we are lucky to be on the right end of some games and unfortunately, we have lost some games.”
TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD DAMIAN LILLARD On why the Trail Blazers team presented Head Coach Terry Stotts' the game ball after the contest: "Everybody doesn't live to 60. We just wanted to wish him a happy birthday and have everybody say something nice. I think one thing about our coach, is that we play for a great coach, but we know we play for an even better person. I'm sure every guy in this locker room has a different story about how he has impacted their careers. Even me having the luxury of coming here as a rookie and him allowing me to take the shots that I take; allowing to have the freedom to play through the mistakes. I feel like I did the work to have the kind of success I've had, but he does a lot too. While being a great person and coaching me up. Just being the type of coach that I've needed to have the kind of career that I've had. I'd rather not play for any other coach. I hope he is happy with the effort tonight. We got a crazy win for him." On what this win can do for the team: "I don't want to say it gives us confidence, but I think what it does is show us what can happen when we do the things we are supposed to do. We did it in spurts and we got back in the game each time. One of our late timeouts Coach said, 'We got another run in us. There is a lot of time left. When we do the things we are supposed to do, moving the ball, screening for each other, playing with that pace offensively, communicating and just having a presence and being physical on defense, we give ourselves a chance. They are going to make tough shots, and we are going to miss some shots and when we do those things we give ourselves the best chance.' Those last six/seven minutes I thought we did that. You are not always going to get this result being down 17 in the fourth but you give yourself your best chance and I thought we did that. On CJ McCollum's game winning shot: "CJ got the ball and he did what he does. He is a pure scorer. Sometimes great defense is not good enough. He hit another one and then we finished it up with a stop and some free throws."
Postgame Notes: ·The Wizards dropped their second-consecutive game when leading at halftime and the third quarter. They are now 8-5 when leading at halftime and 9-5 when leading after three. ·Otto Porter tallied 24 points on 9-of-15 (.600) shooting, adding 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season, tied for the most on the team (John Wall, Marcin Gortat). ·Tim Frazier recorded a season-high 11 points. The 11 were the most Frazier has recorded since March 26, 2017 as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans, when he had 11 at Denver. ·Bradley Beal had 26 points on 10-of-24 shooting, the fourth time in the last six games that Beal has tallied at least 25 points in a game. Beal is one of five players currently averaging 26+ PPG in the month of November. ·The Wizards recorded 25 points off of Portland turnovers tonight, the sixth time this season that Washington has had at least 25 points off of turnovers.
Pretty sure we didn't play the Knicks tonight @SlyPokerDog but thanks are the post game info. Much appreciated.
