Here is what they said after the Hawks’ 111-109 loss to the Thunder Monday night:
“Our group really competed tonight. Their commitment to each other and their commitment to playing the way we want to play is excellent. Losing is very hard in this league. Our guys are hurting. You give Oklahoma City a lot of credit. That was a heck of a fourth quarter. It was a heck of a basketball game. They made a couple more plays than we did down the stretch. It wasn’t for lack of effort on our guys’ part.”
- Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer’s opening statement
“We tried to send a second defender at him. We’ll look at it on film. I think he just rose up and shot it over both guys. It’s a credit to him. That is why he is one of the best players in our league. We love the challenge of trying to guard him at the end of the game. Tonight, he made the shot. We’ll take our chances with our guys again every night.”
- Budenholzer on Kevin Durant’s game-winner
“I would say for the most part. There were a couple of loose balls that I wish we would have gotten to. Durant just hit some tough shots. I think our defense, the whole game, I don’t think there was a big dip. I know they had 32 points in the fourth quarter but I think Durant and his individual skill we just couldn’t find a way to get enough stops. I think our defense was pretty steady the whole night.”
- Budenholzer on Hawks’ fourth-quarter defense
“They have a lot of continuity. They’ve been together a long time. They run their stuff and get the ball to Durant and he made plays. I don’t know how many points he had in the fourth quarter but he stepped up and made some big shots. That was the difference.”
- Budenholzer on Thunder’s fourth-quarter offense
“He is long. I tried to get him. I’ve been studying him all day yesterday and today. He is not consistent going to the right but he proved me wrong. I didn’t want him to get back to the left hand. He hit a tough shot.”
- DeMarre Carroll on Durant’s game-winner
“Make somebody else beat him. We didn’t get their quick enough. It’s just one of those hard-fought losses. No moral victories. We just have to turn around and play another game Wednesday.”
- Carroll on defensive strategy in final seconds
“It was right there, against a good team. Just down the stretch we missed a lot of shots. We had the shots we wanted. Paul had an open 3. Mike had an open 3. We just missed.”
- Carroll on loss
“Great effort, excellent effort. Just do a better job closing it out. We gave up the lead in the fourth quarter but we played well enough to win. Kevin Durant hit some tough shots.”
- Paul Millsap on loss
“That just shows what kind of player he is. He is going to get his numbers but in my opinion DeMarre played him great.”
- Millsap on Durant
“I haven’t seen the play yet. Tough break.”
- Millsap on late traveling call
“Looking at the boxscore, our largest lead was 14 and theirs was two. That’s what they won by. The superstars are the guys who take over at the end of games. There are a few of them and Kevin Durant is probably doing it better than anybody else right now. We tried to double him. He went the other way. Made a tough shot. It’s a tough one. I thought we played well. For our team, I thought that was a good game for us. There are a lot of things that we can build on. If we play with that effort and that attention to detail, we are going to have a good rest of the season. Credit to them, obviously. Kevin Durant, it’s like he can shoot whenever he wants. I think DeMarre did a great job. I thought he played great defense on him all night. I really did. He’s just a special talent. With his length, he is able to rise up and get his shot whenever he wants. He’s on a roll.”
- Kyle Korver on loss
“We had a chance and we let it slip away.”
- Shelvin Mack on loss
“He is a great player. That is what great players do. That is why he is in the conversation for MVP. He made some tough shots down the stretch. You can’t do anything about that.”
- Mack on Durant
“We have to grow from it, find a way to close that out. We had a guy in Durant who is in a super zone. We were missing some guys, but other guys stepped up. That is what we take away from it, the way we competed against a team like that. We just couldn’t get the job done.”
- Elton Brand on loss
“It was an emotional game. I was up and down everywhere. I just had to keep it together at the end of the game and come in for my team and by the grace of God I was able to hit a few shots.”
- Kevin Durant on his 13-point fourth quarter
About the Author
