What they said after the Hawks’ 107-83 loss to the Timberwolves Wednesday:
“Obviously, not one of our better performances. I think Minnesota deserves a lot of credit. They obviously played well. We had some opportunities in the third quarter and then the game just broke. A lot of guys played well for them. A lot of their role players had a big impact on the game. We give a lot of credit to Minnesota tonight.”
- Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer’s opening statement
“I don’t think we played well. Turnovers, missed shots, all those things are examples of where we didn’t play to the standards we expect.”
- Budenholzer on second half troubles which included five turnovers in six possessions
“A lot of the ones at the beginning of the third quarter I would put in the sloppy category. I thought their defense tonight was good. As they got confidence I think their defense improved, their activity improved. A lot of those turnovers were us not being sharp, us not executing. I think it fueled their offense, fueled their confidence and then their defense became very good and very active.”
- Budenholzer on Hawks’ 26 turnovers, one shy of season high
“This was one of the few times when I felt like we may be too reliant, too quick, too ready to shoot 3’s. I think it’s important that we balance what we’ve done all year, we remember what we’ve done from the 3-point line. It’s a big part of our attack but penetrating the paint and attacking the basket has got to be more of an emphasis and more of a priority. We have to have more guys doing it. I think we’ll get better open 3’s than some of the ones we shot tonight.”
- Budenholzer on 7-of-28 shooting from 3-point range
“I think our whole group struggle to score and struggled to make shots. Jeff was part of our group who couldn’t get the ball in the basket. We need more from everybody, including Jeff.”
- Budenholzer on Jeff Teague finishing with zero points
“He was healthy.”
- Budenholzer on Teague only playing five second-half minutes
“I think we didn’t come ready to play. Once we started missing a lot of shots, we lost our focus. This time of the year you can’t lose your focus.”
- DeMarre Carroll on loss
“Very rough. We’ve got to learn when we are not hitting the 3-ball to take it to the hole and get some fouls. I think we haven’t shot this rough in a long time or all season. It’s just one of those games where we just stunk. We weren’t good at all. We turned the ball over. Nothing was going right. We have to flush it and we’ve got a big one tomorrow.”
- Carroll on 3-point shooting
“No they weren’t doing nothing. There were lackadaisical passes, throwing the ball at guys’ feet. We just weren’t focused tonight.”
- Carroll on turnovers
“I know I had a lot. We all turned the ball over. That’s not like us. Their defense sped us up and they turned us over.”
- Mike Scott on turnovers
“It feels good. Obviously, I wish we played better. I’m sure it was great for my family to see me play. I tried not to look for them during the game so I could stay focused.”
- Mike Muscala on playing in native Minnesota
“I’m learning the hard way that I have to focus on the game. The last couple of games I haven’t had my focus where it needs to be. This was a good test for me. I’m trying to make an impact. I just have to know when to calm down out there.”
- Muscala on keeping focus
“Still fighting. Still in the eighth seed. Go get a win tomorrow.”
- Lou Williams on Hawks’ playoff position
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