What they said after the Hawks’ 103-88 win over the Bulls Friday:
"I think the consistency of the defense from the first quarter all the way through, including at halftime when we weren't shooting the ball very well and were still up. We had some double-digit leads in the first half when we couldn't really make a 3. I think if our defense can put us in the position, at some point we'll start making shots. In the third quarter, we made some 3's and got some separation again. Individually, I thought Al (Horford) was great. I thought Kent Bazmore made a lot of defensive plays. Kent set that defensive mindset of denying everywhere. I thought Jeff (Teague) was very good for us tonight with his floor game, making shots, and defensively too. (E'Twaun) Moore and (Aaron) Brooks are scoring point guards, to try to limit them was important to us." – Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer's opening statement
"That's always indicative of how we are. When we are creating turnovers, we are at our best. Tonight, we were able to do that." – Budenholzer on forcing 21 turnovers
"I think at halftime, Kyle (Korver) and Kent had 10 3's between them and I feel like everyone was a really, really good look. You feel like that's going to change and the percentages will come back to you and you'll start making them." – Budenholzer on 3-point shooting
"It's nice. We've had this homestand and it hasn't gone the way we wanted. To be able to come out tonight and get a win against them is big for us." – Al Horford on win
"I was telling Jeff this, every time we've played them, at least for us, I feel like it's a must win. It's not even about them, it's our mindset. I should be that all the time, I'm just saying it's really a must win. When we played them before the all-star break we had lost two in a row. We just came out tonight with a lot of energy defensively and I win like that was the key." – Horford on success against Bulls
"In my mind, you lose three in a row at home and you are getting ready to go on the road it doesn't get easier." – Horford on must win
"I thought we were pretty focused tonight. Coming into the game the locker room felt right. That's what we need. We need everyone to be focused. We didn't shoot the ball particularly well. We weren't super crisp. But our focus on defense was really great. We know we are a good shooting team and we'll come out and be better later. Tonight to win a game on defense was great." – Kyle Korver on must win
"We played with a lot of energy on the defensive end and tried to make it tough on those guys. We played with a lot of pace." – Jeff Teague on win
"It was a must win for us. We've been on a nice little slide there. We just wanted to come out and play good basketball and get a nice win." – Teague on must win
"Dude. It happens man. One thing I will never stop doing is shooting. I had really good looks. My teammates were passing me the ball. I was 1-for-8 (from 3-point) and I was still shooting it. I still believe. I come in every day and work on my shot. I shoot it really well in practice. It just has to carry over." – Kent Bazemore on reaction after making a 3-pointer after 16 straight misses
"People still respect my 3-point shot. Me personally, I think I have to get back to attacking the rim, making the extra pass, attacking the center of the defense. For a second, a kind of fell in love with the 3-point shot. You make them at the clip I was, shooting it pretty well, you kind of get complacent. You have to go back to what got me here and put pressure on the rim, make teams defend the rim." – Bazemore on driving to basket more
"I think so. We don't have to put pressure on ourselves but we know where we are at," - Thabo Sefolosha on must win
"Our defense hasn't been terrible. We've lost games when our defense has been excellent. At some point, you've got to make some shots, especially the ones that counted down the stretch. In the past we didn't do that. Tonight we were able to finish the game out." – Paul Millsap on winning with defense
"Get back on the right track. Coming out of the break and losing three in a row is tough. It's good to get a win under our belt." – Millsap on must win
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