Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer
“I think it was a good defensive effort on the road. It gave us a chance to win a tough game against a good team, which is never easy on the road. We didn’t shoot it well but our defense gave us a chance. That’s what we keep talking about with our group.”
With 32 points off turnovers, 16 off offensive rebounds, does that show how much effort your guys gave tonight?
“I thought our effort and energy was good coming out of the gate. I think our hands, our rotations, all of those things … that’s how you get deflections and turnovers, and hopefully you can turn those into points.”
No such thing as an ugly victory?
“No. All wins in our league are hard to get, and on the road it’s even harder. They’re a well-coached team and they play really hard. Our offense, you could call it ugly, but I think they deserve some credit for that.”
On Jeff Teague’s play
“I thought his aggressiveness really got us through some rough stretches. He had a couple of big rebounds and a loose ball. He created that last foul there on Al. His activity and everything he did, getting into the paint, was really crucial for us.”
Hawks center Al Horford
On winning on a night where Hawks shot season-low 36.7% (33 for 90)
“It shows the fight in our team. They played really well. They kept fighting, they kept coming back. But we stuck with it. It was an important win for us.”
32 off turnovers, 16 off second-chance and the team’s grittiness?
“No question about it. It was effort, and sometimes that’s the way it is. I know everybody preaches – and it was the case for us tonight – we didn’t shoot very well and we didn’t play our best, but we were still able to find a way.”
Kyle Korver
What does it say about grit of this team?
“It was ugly. We haven’t shot the ball well in the last couple of games, but that happens. It’s a long NBA season and you’re going to have nights like that. Our defense was much better, obviously, coming off that tough game. I thought we played with a greater sense of urgency tonight, and that’s what defense is. With the game plan we tweaked a couple of things, but really we were just more focused and more ready.”
How important to come out strong after last night?
“You never want to lose two in a row. You’re going to lose over the course of the season, but you try not to have losing streaks. It’s hard to beat the same team back-to-back nights. It’s the NBA. We played Orlando a couple of weeks ago, and we got the first one and they went and got us the second time. This was the same situation. We lost the first one and we came out ready.”
On a night where both offense struggled, how big is 32 points off turnovers?
“It was big. When you’re not shooting the ball well from the outside you’ve got to find a way to get in the paint and get to the free throw line. Jeff was really great tonight. It’s so good to have him back and healthy again. He got to the free throw line and he forced some turnovers. We’re at our best when we’re out and running, and we were able to that some tonight.”
After Friday night’s loss is this a character victory?
“We know who we are and we had to get back to playing who we are. And that’s playing as one unit. We’re a team, and we need to play as a team and we need to play with a great sense of urgency. When we do that, we’re tough to beat and we’re tough to guard and we guard well. If we let up off the gas a little bit, we can have nights like last night. Tonight we got back to who we are.”
Compiled for the AJC by Rick Braun
