What they said after the Hawks’ 110-89 win over the Raptors Friday night:
Coach Mike Budenholzer
Opening statement: "I think the defensive activity with our hands and with our shifts created some turnovers and some opportunities in the first half was really important for us because we weren't taking care of the ball as good as we needed to, weren't taking care of the boards as good as we need to. But our defensive activity put us in a position where we got some baskets in rhythm. They are a very, very good team. Very tough to beat here in Toronto. It's a good team win."
On shooting over 60 percent for the game: "How many turnovers did we have in the first quarter? Kyle have five. When we shoot it well like that and we can take care of the ball, and then you keep going back to being good on the other end too, there were a lot of opportunities for our guys to get good looks tonight.
On increasing lead in third quarter: "It's important when you are on the road and you find a way to have a little bit of a lead at halftime you keep the crowd out of it and keep us in a position where you have a little bit of a cushion. We've been talking about playing for more of the 48 minutes. We are getting closer."
On run to end second half: "They did it all on their own. They made a couple of defensive plays. Paul (Millsap) getting a steal stands out to me at the end of the quarter. It's important. We talk a lot about finishing quarters. That second quarter was a good finish."
On keeping composure with loud crowd: "We've got a long way to go and a lot to work on. At times our poise was good but at times our execution broke down in transition. But overall, I think our poise and maturity, we've got a good group that way."
Al Horford
At what point do you get impressed: "It's impressive. I'm proud of the way we handled everything tonight. We stuck with the game plan that coach wanted us to do. We did a good job of that."
On keeping composure: "Most important, I feel like we have very good rhythm right now. We are playing. All the pieces are all starting to come together. We are starting to figure each other out and how to play together. That's why we've had the success."
On shooting over 60 percent: "We moved the ball real well and we got some good shots. You look at most of ours shots and we got a lot of good looks and they were falling. Some nights they don't fall but tonight they were falling. That is always good."
Jeff Teague
At what point do you get impressed: "To be honest with you, we don't have time to be impressed. Tomorrow we go against Chicago and they are a great team in the Eastern Conference. It's going to be another war, another battle. We have to prepare for that."
On shooting over 60 percent: "We have a really good offensive team. It's all about our defense right now. We stepped up and played defense. When we play with active hands and step in and get steals, the offense will take care of itself."
Kyle Korver
At what point do you get impressed: "That's when things go wrong, when you get happy. We can't do that. We like where we are headed."
Paul Millsap
At what point do you get impressed: "We've never said it's not impressive. We are on a mission. It's an impressive win today. To come here, after losing to these guys twice, it's pretty impressive. But we know we have another game tomorrow. It's the same thing. It's not that it's not impressive. We just move on quickly."
On keeping composure: "I think we have learned. We had a short time to learn. I think you remember the times we had a lead and teams would come back. But we learned quick. We are still learning, still growing."
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