What they said after the Hawks’ 100-87 win over the Lakers Friday:
"I thought our defense in the first half gave us a cushion and we had a little lag, a pretty significant lag, in the third quarter and into the fourth quarter. We found a way to make some plays down the stretch. Different guys stepped up, whether it be rebounding, getting a block, a stop. It's a win. We have a few days now where we can work to get better." - Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer's opening statement
"I don't remember there being a dead ball. We went down and scored and were able to get (the lead) back to 10 before the next dead ball. I think we just wanted to find a way to get a stop. We felt like if we kept moving the ball and attacking we would get some good shots." - Budenholzer on late rally
"Two nights in a row where the second half we haven't been as good as we need to be. It's really both sides of the court. It ends up we are not doing enough things defensively and that usually can give us a rhythm and fuel us on our offense. We've got to focus on being a better defensive team for 48 minutes, being a better defensive team when we are up, being more solid when we are up, not taking gambles and unnecessary risks. A few of those plays and all of a sudden some teams cut your leads and get a little confidence and momentum. We just have to learn from it and be better." - Budenholzer on inability to hold big leads
"Playing defense and trying to make them take tough shots." - Jeff Teague on pulling out win
"We kept playing. We kept playing and down the stretch we played well. We made shots and were able to get stops." - Thabo Sefolosha on pulling out win
"We wanted to feel better after the game. Tonight we do. A win is a win and we are going to take them as they come." - Sefolosha on not losing lead
"We got some great fans too. There were a lot of yellow jerseys out there too. I understand that we played against a legend tonight. It feels good to beat them. It's great that the fans were behind us at the end and were happy we won. Everybody in this locker room is happy we won too." - Sefolosha on pro-Kobe Bryant fans
"We were in that same situation on Wednesday. I felt like we handled it much better. We stayed with it. We didn't freak out." - Al Horford on pulling out win
"No question. After Wednesday's loss, we were all pretty down. We learned from that. … I still think we need to get a lot better as a team but we'll take the win." - Horford on learning from Wednesday's loss
"You hear it. We were expecting it especially what's been happening in Philly and Washington and leading up to here. You kind of accept it and you just play. We briefly addressed it before the game. We said go out there and play our game and that's what we did." - Horford on dealing with pro-Kobe Bryant fans
"We responded well. We shouldn't put ourselves in that situation, especially against this type of team. But we were able to keep the lead and get a win." - Paul Millsap on win
"I just wanted to finish strong. I wasn't getting many calls so I just decided to be strong with it, take it up, try to get fouled." - Millsap on late baskets
"We have a loyal base. He has a loyal fan base. Obviously, his fan base outdid ours tonight. Out of respect, a lot of people came out to support him and give him a farewell. … You can't take it personal. You've got one of the best players to ever play out there. Respect it." - Millsap on pro-Kobe fans
