Hawks-Hornets postgame quotes

On whether team is grasping defensive scheme: "The execution, the activity and the effort was good. That's always more important than any concept, any scheme or anything. I think the guys have really committed and have been very good defensively. We can't rest. We have to get better."

DeMarre Carroll

On defensive effort: "I think when we first go out there our main purposes is to start off playing defense good. Like I said yesterday, let our defense lead to easy offense. I think that is what we did tonight."

On Budenholzer's postgame message: "Let's get better. We have a day off (Sunday) but let's get better the next day. He was pretty pleased but he still got to be coach and look hard and act hard. We know what we did. We just have to build on it."

On offensive effort fueled by defense: "When you are playing good defense and getting all those steals, the offense comes easy. I think we have to stay focused. Our bench was great tonight. You have to give them credit. Elton Brand came in and he ain't played the whole season. It shows how deep we are and we have to continue to play hard."

Al Horford

On improvement in defensive efforts: "It's an understanding. We know what we have to do but, more than anything, I feel like the energy and the focus on defense is much better than it was in the first few games. That is the biggest difference."

On defense fueling offense: "For us to get better we need to keep bring that same type of intensity defensively and if we do that, we'll always be in good position."

Elton Brand

On getting playing time: "It's always fun to get some minutes. You practice hard and try to prepare and when you are needed go out there. It's a lot of fun, especially with the outcome of the game."

On defensive effort past two games: "I think we have a better understanding of what we need to do and how the makeup of our team works. We need to get stops. We can score. We can score. We can shoot the ball. We can do a lot of things. But we are going to hang our hat on defense to win games. We've done that the past two nights."

Shelvin Mack

On defensive effort: "It was very impressive, especially watching from the sideline and seeing how we were scrambling and contesting every shot. When you have multiple shot-clock violations in a game you know you are doing a great job."

On offensive effort: "Whenever you get stops, you don't have to take the ball out and they don't have a chance to set up. We can run. We are one of the smaller teams in the NBA and that gives us an advantage not to let their defense get set."

On avenging double overtime loss: "It was great to have a win, especially this week with four games in five days. It was good to end on a great note like that."

Paul Millsap

On defensive efforts past two games: "It's big. It's a huge compliment for us because we strive on defense. We are not going to be one of those teams that says we want to be good on defense. We really want to be good on defense. It's big confidence for us."

On defensive message sinking in: "For us to be the team that we want to be, it has to be. Our offense is going to come. I think we are at our best when we get out and run and keep the pace up. That starts with rebounding and playing defense."