MARCUS LEE
On if they’re more comfortable Playing a game where it’s a battle in the frontcourt …
“Yeah, definitely. That’s something we’ve been working on the whole year. Get into a physical game like that and do it well big-wise. Getting big rebounds and just battling hard. It makes us all look good because that’s what we’re working at.”
On if that’s as good as UK has looked all year …
“Yeah, that’s the ending product of what comes. It’s March. That’s what you kind of expect. That’s what you need to be at at March. We’re still trying to build before the tournament starts. We’re just getting better here.”
On there being a rhythm on the floor …
“Yeah, we’re all definitely mentally connected as a team today and we hope to keep that going this week.”
On Alex Poythress’ four 3-pointers …
“When Alex is hurt all he does is just shoot from the 3-point line because he can’t move when he’s hurt. So that’s that product of not being able to do nothing else but just shoot.”
On what an opening game like this does for their morale and confidence, and people saying the first game in the tournament is the hardest …
“I think that’s definitely true because you really don’t know what you’re going to get. Everybody is playing for their last day, and you can’t just go out and lolly gag like it’s a normal game because it’s not.”
On Poythress’ form on the bow and arrow …
“We need to teach him how to do it right, but we all enjoyed it because it’s a team created thing. We enjoy it a lot.”
On how it feels to see Poythress do what he did Friday night …
“Injury now means nothing. He’s feeling himself, he’s on a roll.”
On if there was a change in Poythress’ attitude …
“No, he’s always had the same attitude. He’s always just been grinding trying to get back to where he knows he can be. And today he showed where he can be.”
On what it is about the matchup with Alabama that bodes so well for Poythress …
“I don’t know. We’re all asking him that question. We’re like, ‘Why do you always destroy Alabama?’ I think he just gets a flow pretty quickly in games like this, especially physical games like this. He kinda thrives at games like this. We enjoy it, we need it at this moment.”
DOMINIQUE HAWKINS
On his performance …
“After my first Shot went down I definitely get more aggressive when I’m able to knock down a shot. I feel like I was comfortable out there with the guys. In practice I’ve been performing well as well.”
On what it is about Alabama that seems to bring out the best in Alex Poythress …
“I have no idea, but yeah, he was definitely a beast today. I never seen him knock down as many shots as he did today. Hopefully he can continue to do that for us.”
On what Coach Cal’s reaction would be if Jamal Murray hit a 3 and did the bow and arrow at Coach Cal …
“I think Cal might fall on the floor or something. I think he would go along with Jamal just to give the fans a little laugh or something.”
On explaining Poythress having made just two 3s all season and then hitting four Friday night …
“He’s my roommate in the hotel as well, and I could tell that he was really focused once we got back to the hotel. I just saw that he was really relaxed. He was comfortable. Definitely in the warmups too that he was shooting well, confident. And definitely when he makes his first 3 that gives him way more confidence in himself.”
On how tough UK is when it shoots 3s like that …
“I feel like we’re pretty tough, but I feel like it relies on our defense. Our defense has to be outstanding because most of the time our offense is always performing at a high level, it’s just our defense.”
On if he thought he may get more playing time because he’s built similarly to Alabama guard Retin Obasohan …
“To be honest, I really don’t have any idea when I’m going to get in. So I just make myself ready whenever I get in.”
On if he noticed the crowd in Bridgestone Arena …
“Yeah, it was all blue.”
On the noise level of the crowd …
“It felt like I was back at Rupp, pretty much. It’s amazing how the fans travel for us like this. That’s a big part of our energy too, as well.”
On whether Alex Poythress showed off his secret weapon …
“Alex, I’ve never actually seen him shoot like that since I’ve been on a Kentucky. He shot excellent tonight and he played outstanding for us.”
On the confidence he could gain from that …
“That’s going to give him tremendous confidence. Definitely like how Derek was balling during the season when he was knocking down shots. He ended up hitting seven 3s in one game, so hopefully it’s going to give him a lot of confidence to shoot the ball now.”
On Poythress breaking out the bow and arrow …
“We definitely don’t expect Alex to do something like that. He’s supposed to be the mature person on the team. It’s fun though that he’s doing stuff like that. It brings out the best of Alex.”
On whether that shows how loose and confident they are …
“Oh definitely. If he’s knocking down 3s you know he’s definitely confident. Because when he shoots the ball and he’s not confident about it, but when he’s confident it looks good.”
On whether Calipari going to him early gave him confidence …
“I really didn’t-it didn’t give me any confidence that he went early. I just wanted to get in and start playing. He told me that if I was open, take the shot and he needed me for my defense.”
On postseason playing bringing out the best in him …
“I guess there’s something about March. I’m just always ready at that time.”
On whether he gave his team a boost …
“I felt like I gave myself a boost. Once I hit my first shot, it gave me a lot of confidence. And hitting that first shot makes me more aggressive and makes me want to score and be more aggressive on defense and stuff like that.”
On the importance of having a healthy team …
“It’s very important, because we need everybody on this team that’s playing. It’s March, so games that you’re playing are either win or go home.”
On whether he’ll tell Poythress they are playing Alabama from now on …
“We need to start saying that, definitely, because I don’t what it is but he always plays great against Alabama.”
ISAIAH BRISCOE
On if all the bow-and-arrow moves that players are doing indicate how fun the team is having …
“I mean, yeah. Jamal is having fun obviously. People on the bench are keeping us motivated and into the game, cheering and everything. We’re just happy for one another.”
On Alex Poythress pulling his own bow and arrow out …
“I hope he didn’t pull the bow and arrow out. Did he? I didn’t see that.”
On how good the team is when the outside shots are falling …
“Very, very good. Especially when Alex is playing like that.”
On what difference it makes …
“Because it gives us an inside presence and an outside presence.”
On what it is about Alabama for Alex Poythress …
“I don’t know, but every time we played them, ever since the first game, Coach (Cal) told him, ‘Listen, nobody on the team can guard you. So if you be a beast, you’re going to have a good game.’ All three games he had a good game.”
On how much Alex Poythress needs to keep having that same attitude the rest of the way …
“Every game. Just carry the momentum from one game to the other.”
On Poythress not hitting many 3s all season to hitting four today …
“I mean, I don’t think he’s a 3-point shooter. (laughter) But if they’re going in, keep shooting them.”
On how he feels about the team now …
“Yeah, we have to go watch film and see who we play next game, and hopefully we’ll carry the momentum over to the next game and play hard.”
On if the team is as good as any team when they’re balanced and healthy …
“I mean, we’re just worried about us right now. We’re just trying to be the best we can be. We’re not really worried about being better than other teams until we go out there and play, and at the end of the game, the score is 0-0 and seeing who won the game. So we’re not really worried about other people. We’re just trying to be the best we can be.”
On why everything is falling into place …
“It’s a win-or-go-home mentality for everybody, I guess.”
On the team looking more comfortable …
“I feel that also. When we’re making open shots and our bigs are giving us presence down low, it just makes the game easier for everybody else.”
On what it’s like when they’re in rhythm …
“Alabama’s a good team and we knew that they were going to keep fighting. So we were trying to stop their runs; they were trying to stop our runs. Basketball is a game full of runs, so as long as we can counter their runs I think we should be fine.”
On their confidence level …
“I think we’re pretty confident. We were making shots, we were making 3s and getting out in transition. That’s what we do.”
On whether it took time for them to find a rhythm playing their first postseason game …
“I don’t think so. I think we treated it like a regular conference game. Playing against Alabama three times, we knew that it would be hard beating them a third time. They’re a good team, but we came with energy, we made shots, our bigs stepped up today and we came out with the win.”
On Poythress’ 3-point shooting …
“I knew he could make shots. He went out there today, he made his first couple and he just kept shooting and it kept going in.”
On Poythress playing well against Alabama …
“He has been playing good against Alabama, but like I’m saying Alex just gotta play like that every time. I don’t know what he did that made him play that way, but if Alex plays like that every game that’ll help us a lot.”
On leading the team in assists …
“They were making shots and I was just trying to get people open.”
SKAL LABISSIERE
On Jamal Murray feeling loose with the bow-and-arrow move …
“Yeah he is, definitely. Jamal is contagious with that.”
On how loose does he feel right now …
“I feel pretty loose. I’ve been working really hard, I feel more comfortable with my teammates. I trust them, they trust me. They all want me to be successful, so I’m pretty comfortable.”
On if he’s seen the bow-and-arrow move before Jamal Murray …
“That’s the first time I’ve seen it, but it didn’t start on the court. He actually has a Nerf bow and arrow at the (Coal) Lodge where we live. He shoots people with it, so every time he does it, I just picture him shooting me with it. Still hurts a little bit. (laughter)”
On when he started shooting people with it …
“It was first semester I would say. Before we went on break.”
On if him being loose is part of Coach Cal’s tweak …
“He’s done a really good job at putting me in position to be successful. I’ve just been working with Kenny Payne in the gym a lot more. That’s why I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing.”
On if anything specifically clicked with his hook shot …
“We work on it every single day before practice in the gym. Sometimes after practice, we work on it. It’s something we always work on.”
On how good the team is when they’re balanced and healthy …
“We still have room for improvement. Like the first half, we started kind of slow, and we can’t do that going into next week in the big tournament. So we all need to play consistently like that for 40 minutes.”
On what’s impressed him the most about Alex Poythress since coming back …
“Just how confident he looks, how comfortable he looks out there. Even though he was hurt, he hasn’t lost a beat. He came out and his knees have been better than before.”
On if he’s learned a lot from Poythress …
“Oh definitely. As a senior, he’s been there for four years. So he definitely gives me advice evey once in a while.”
ALEX POYTHRESS
On if he thought it was a switching of roles with the bigs carrying the guards early …
“No, Tyler and Jamal are always going to have it because they are just great players. But we feel like everybody on this team can score confidently. Marcus, Skal in the post, Derek can shoot, Dom can hit open shots, Isaiah can drive. So it’s like not just them two. We try to be defined as more of a team than those two. But they lead us, they’re our two leading scorers. They make us run, they generate offense for the most part.”
On how big it was to step up for them early …
“It was big because it just shows that we can do it and everybody on this team can step up if we need to. If they have an off night, we can’t use that as an excuse of why we lost or anything like that.”
On if this team is more balanced than two weeks ago …
“Yeah, we’re doing more things, different things offensively, getting more players opportunities to score in positions and such. So we’re getting a lot more balanced scoring.”
On copying Jamal Murray’s bow-and-arrow move …
“I don’t know, I was just staring at Jamal, he was laughing at me. So I was like, ‘Whatever. I’ll just do it real quick.’ (laughter)”
On if he didn’t like Alabama growing up …
“I actually like Alabama growing up.”
On what it is with him and Alabama …
“I don’t know, I don’t understand it. I guess it’s the defense, you know. But I just try to come out and compete every day.”
TYLER ULIS
On if he saw a shooting night like this from Alex Poythress …
“Not at all. We’re hoping he doesn’t think he’s a shooter now. We need him in the post.”
On what this team is like at full strength …
“When everyone plays with confidence and we get guys going in a rhythm, it’s hard to stop us. Especially when we have Alex hitting jump shots and spacing the floor for us.”
On if there’s any chance he comes back to UK at the end of the year …
“I’m just focused on this year right now. We have a lot more games ahead of us and we’re just playing.”
On what a win like this does for the team in the postseason …
“Winning a game like this is big for us because Coach (Cal) stressed this would be the hardest game. Winning like that sets a big game for us, and everybody just stepped up and played like it was a normal game at Rupp.”
On how much is there a learning process with the team still …
“I feel like at this point, we’re set. When guys went down, everybody stepped in and did their jobs. When Alex went down, Isaac stepped up. When Derek went down, Skal stepped up. Now everyone is at the level of how they can play, and it’s going to be hard to beat us.”
On if Coach Cal still relies on him to coach as much on the floor …
“A lot of people are a lot more confident, and everybody is getting into the rhythm of how Coach (Cal) wants them to play. So I don’t really have to say as much. Everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do, doing their job and we’re rolling now.”
On if this game counts as another step forward for Skal Labissiere …
“Definitely. Skal is doing a great job defensively and offensively. He’s blocking shots, he’s shooting his hook shots he can make, he’s always made his jump shots. He’s a problem now, pick-and-popping the post. He’s playing great.”
On what the difference is with this team and midseason …
“It’s a big difference. Everybody is starting to fill in their roll, we have our bigs playing every night. We got Skal doing what he can do, and everybody is just playing hard.”
On if it isn’t the same team from a month ago …
“This is definitely not the same team. We had a lot of young guys who are now focused every time we step on the court. Everybody is coming out and playing their heart out, and we’re just trying to keep going and winning.”
On Jamal Murray’s bow-and-arrow move …
“I don’t know where he got it, but he was pretty clever. He does it every time he makes a 3.”
On Alex Poythress emulating the move …
“Nah, it’s not for him. (laughter)”
On if he would ever do that move …
“No, you’re not going to see me do that. It’s all for ‘Mal.”
On if he’s too serious for that …
“No, it’s just I don’t want to take someone else’s 3-point celebration.”
On if they’re more comfortable Playing a game where it’s a battle in the frontcourt …
“Yeah, definitely. That’s something we’ve been working on the whole year. Get into a physical game like that and do it well big-wise. Getting big rebounds and just battling hard. It makes us all look good because that’s what we’re working at.”
On if that’s as good as UK has looked all year …
“Yeah, that’s the ending product of what comes. It’s March. That’s what you kind of expect. That’s what you need to be at at March. We’re still trying to build before the tournament starts. We’re just getting better here.”
On there being a rhythm on the floor …
“Yeah, we’re all definitely mentally connected as a team today and we hope to keep that going this week.”
On Alex Poythress’ four 3-pointers …
“When Alex is hurt all he does is just shoot from the 3-point line because he can’t move when he’s hurt. So that’s that product of not being able to do nothing else but just shoot.”
On what an opening game like this does for their morale and confidence, and people saying the first game in the tournament is the hardest …
“I think that’s definitely true because you really don’t know what you’re going to get. Everybody is playing for their last day, and you can’t just go out and lolly gag like it’s a normal game because it’s not.”
On Poythress’ form on the bow and arrow …
“We need to teach him how to do it right, but we all enjoyed it because it’s a team created thing. We enjoy it a lot.”
On how it feels to see Poythress do what he did Friday night …
“Injury now means nothing. He’s feeling himself, he’s on a roll.”
On if there was a change in Poythress’ attitude …
“No, he’s always had the same attitude. He’s always just been grinding trying to get back to where he knows he can be. And today he showed where he can be.”
On what it is about the matchup with Alabama that bodes so well for Poythress …
“I don’t know. We’re all asking him that question. We’re like, ‘Why do you always destroy Alabama?’ I think he just gets a flow pretty quickly in games like this, especially physical games like this. He kinda thrives at games like this. We enjoy it, we need it at this moment.”
DOMINIQUE HAWKINS
On his performance …
“After my first Shot went down I definitely get more aggressive when I’m able to knock down a shot. I feel like I was comfortable out there with the guys. In practice I’ve been performing well as well.”
On what it is about Alabama that seems to bring out the best in Alex Poythress …
“I have no idea, but yeah, he was definitely a beast today. I never seen him knock down as many shots as he did today. Hopefully he can continue to do that for us.”
On what Coach Cal’s reaction would be if Jamal Murray hit a 3 and did the bow and arrow at Coach Cal …
“I think Cal might fall on the floor or something. I think he would go along with Jamal just to give the fans a little laugh or something.”
On explaining Poythress having made just two 3s all season and then hitting four Friday night …
“He’s my roommate in the hotel as well, and I could tell that he was really focused once we got back to the hotel. I just saw that he was really relaxed. He was comfortable. Definitely in the warmups too that he was shooting well, confident. And definitely when he makes his first 3 that gives him way more confidence in himself.”
On how tough UK is when it shoots 3s like that …
“I feel like we’re pretty tough, but I feel like it relies on our defense. Our defense has to be outstanding because most of the time our offense is always performing at a high level, it’s just our defense.”
On if he thought he may get more playing time because he’s built similarly to Alabama guard Retin Obasohan …
“To be honest, I really don’t have any idea when I’m going to get in. So I just make myself ready whenever I get in.”
On if he noticed the crowd in Bridgestone Arena …
“Yeah, it was all blue.”
On the noise level of the crowd …
“It felt like I was back at Rupp, pretty much. It’s amazing how the fans travel for us like this. That’s a big part of our energy too, as well.”
On whether Alex Poythress showed off his secret weapon …
“Alex, I’ve never actually seen him shoot like that since I’ve been on a Kentucky. He shot excellent tonight and he played outstanding for us.”
On the confidence he could gain from that …
“That’s going to give him tremendous confidence. Definitely like how Derek was balling during the season when he was knocking down shots. He ended up hitting seven 3s in one game, so hopefully it’s going to give him a lot of confidence to shoot the ball now.”
On Poythress breaking out the bow and arrow …
“We definitely don’t expect Alex to do something like that. He’s supposed to be the mature person on the team. It’s fun though that he’s doing stuff like that. It brings out the best of Alex.”
On whether that shows how loose and confident they are …
“Oh definitely. If he’s knocking down 3s you know he’s definitely confident. Because when he shoots the ball and he’s not confident about it, but when he’s confident it looks good.”
On whether Calipari going to him early gave him confidence …
“I really didn’t-it didn’t give me any confidence that he went early. I just wanted to get in and start playing. He told me that if I was open, take the shot and he needed me for my defense.”
On postseason playing bringing out the best in him …
“I guess there’s something about March. I’m just always ready at that time.”
On whether he gave his team a boost …
“I felt like I gave myself a boost. Once I hit my first shot, it gave me a lot of confidence. And hitting that first shot makes me more aggressive and makes me want to score and be more aggressive on defense and stuff like that.”
On the importance of having a healthy team …
“It’s very important, because we need everybody on this team that’s playing. It’s March, so games that you’re playing are either win or go home.”
On whether he’ll tell Poythress they are playing Alabama from now on …
“We need to start saying that, definitely, because I don’t what it is but he always plays great against Alabama.”
ISAIAH BRISCOE
On if all the bow-and-arrow moves that players are doing indicate how fun the team is having …
“I mean, yeah. Jamal is having fun obviously. People on the bench are keeping us motivated and into the game, cheering and everything. We’re just happy for one another.”
On Alex Poythress pulling his own bow and arrow out …
“I hope he didn’t pull the bow and arrow out. Did he? I didn’t see that.”
On how good the team is when the outside shots are falling …
“Very, very good. Especially when Alex is playing like that.”
On what difference it makes …
“Because it gives us an inside presence and an outside presence.”
On what it is about Alabama for Alex Poythress …
“I don’t know, but every time we played them, ever since the first game, Coach (Cal) told him, ‘Listen, nobody on the team can guard you. So if you be a beast, you’re going to have a good game.’ All three games he had a good game.”
On how much Alex Poythress needs to keep having that same attitude the rest of the way …
“Every game. Just carry the momentum from one game to the other.”
On Poythress not hitting many 3s all season to hitting four today …
“I mean, I don’t think he’s a 3-point shooter. (laughter) But if they’re going in, keep shooting them.”
On how he feels about the team now …
“Yeah, we have to go watch film and see who we play next game, and hopefully we’ll carry the momentum over to the next game and play hard.”
On if the team is as good as any team when they’re balanced and healthy …
“I mean, we’re just worried about us right now. We’re just trying to be the best we can be. We’re not really worried about being better than other teams until we go out there and play, and at the end of the game, the score is 0-0 and seeing who won the game. So we’re not really worried about other people. We’re just trying to be the best we can be.”
On why everything is falling into place …
“It’s a win-or-go-home mentality for everybody, I guess.”
On the team looking more comfortable …
“I feel that also. When we’re making open shots and our bigs are giving us presence down low, it just makes the game easier for everybody else.”
On what it’s like when they’re in rhythm …
“Alabama’s a good team and we knew that they were going to keep fighting. So we were trying to stop their runs; they were trying to stop our runs. Basketball is a game full of runs, so as long as we can counter their runs I think we should be fine.”
On their confidence level …
“I think we’re pretty confident. We were making shots, we were making 3s and getting out in transition. That’s what we do.”
On whether it took time for them to find a rhythm playing their first postseason game …
“I don’t think so. I think we treated it like a regular conference game. Playing against Alabama three times, we knew that it would be hard beating them a third time. They’re a good team, but we came with energy, we made shots, our bigs stepped up today and we came out with the win.”
On Poythress’ 3-point shooting …
“I knew he could make shots. He went out there today, he made his first couple and he just kept shooting and it kept going in.”
On Poythress playing well against Alabama …
“He has been playing good against Alabama, but like I’m saying Alex just gotta play like that every time. I don’t know what he did that made him play that way, but if Alex plays like that every game that’ll help us a lot.”
On leading the team in assists …
“They were making shots and I was just trying to get people open.”
SKAL LABISSIERE
On Jamal Murray feeling loose with the bow-and-arrow move …
“Yeah he is, definitely. Jamal is contagious with that.”
On how loose does he feel right now …
“I feel pretty loose. I’ve been working really hard, I feel more comfortable with my teammates. I trust them, they trust me. They all want me to be successful, so I’m pretty comfortable.”
On if he’s seen the bow-and-arrow move before Jamal Murray …
“That’s the first time I’ve seen it, but it didn’t start on the court. He actually has a Nerf bow and arrow at the (Coal) Lodge where we live. He shoots people with it, so every time he does it, I just picture him shooting me with it. Still hurts a little bit. (laughter)”
On when he started shooting people with it …
“It was first semester I would say. Before we went on break.”
On if him being loose is part of Coach Cal’s tweak …
“He’s done a really good job at putting me in position to be successful. I’ve just been working with Kenny Payne in the gym a lot more. That’s why I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing.”
On if anything specifically clicked with his hook shot …
“We work on it every single day before practice in the gym. Sometimes after practice, we work on it. It’s something we always work on.”
On how good the team is when they’re balanced and healthy …
“We still have room for improvement. Like the first half, we started kind of slow, and we can’t do that going into next week in the big tournament. So we all need to play consistently like that for 40 minutes.”
On what’s impressed him the most about Alex Poythress since coming back …
“Just how confident he looks, how comfortable he looks out there. Even though he was hurt, he hasn’t lost a beat. He came out and his knees have been better than before.”
On if he’s learned a lot from Poythress …
“Oh definitely. As a senior, he’s been there for four years. So he definitely gives me advice evey once in a while.”
ALEX POYTHRESS
On if he thought it was a switching of roles with the bigs carrying the guards early …
“No, Tyler and Jamal are always going to have it because they are just great players. But we feel like everybody on this team can score confidently. Marcus, Skal in the post, Derek can shoot, Dom can hit open shots, Isaiah can drive. So it’s like not just them two. We try to be defined as more of a team than those two. But they lead us, they’re our two leading scorers. They make us run, they generate offense for the most part.”
On how big it was to step up for them early …
“It was big because it just shows that we can do it and everybody on this team can step up if we need to. If they have an off night, we can’t use that as an excuse of why we lost or anything like that.”
On if this team is more balanced than two weeks ago …
“Yeah, we’re doing more things, different things offensively, getting more players opportunities to score in positions and such. So we’re getting a lot more balanced scoring.”
On copying Jamal Murray’s bow-and-arrow move …
“I don’t know, I was just staring at Jamal, he was laughing at me. So I was like, ‘Whatever. I’ll just do it real quick.’ (laughter)”
On if he didn’t like Alabama growing up …
“I actually like Alabama growing up.”
On what it is with him and Alabama …
“I don’t know, I don’t understand it. I guess it’s the defense, you know. But I just try to come out and compete every day.”
TYLER ULIS
On if he saw a shooting night like this from Alex Poythress …
“Not at all. We’re hoping he doesn’t think he’s a shooter now. We need him in the post.”
On what this team is like at full strength …
“When everyone plays with confidence and we get guys going in a rhythm, it’s hard to stop us. Especially when we have Alex hitting jump shots and spacing the floor for us.”
On if there’s any chance he comes back to UK at the end of the year …
“I’m just focused on this year right now. We have a lot more games ahead of us and we’re just playing.”
On what a win like this does for the team in the postseason …
“Winning a game like this is big for us because Coach (Cal) stressed this would be the hardest game. Winning like that sets a big game for us, and everybody just stepped up and played like it was a normal game at Rupp.”
On how much is there a learning process with the team still …
“I feel like at this point, we’re set. When guys went down, everybody stepped in and did their jobs. When Alex went down, Isaac stepped up. When Derek went down, Skal stepped up. Now everyone is at the level of how they can play, and it’s going to be hard to beat us.”
On if Coach Cal still relies on him to coach as much on the floor …
“A lot of people are a lot more confident, and everybody is getting into the rhythm of how Coach (Cal) wants them to play. So I don’t really have to say as much. Everybody is doing what they’re supposed to do, doing their job and we’re rolling now.”
On if this game counts as another step forward for Skal Labissiere …
“Definitely. Skal is doing a great job defensively and offensively. He’s blocking shots, he’s shooting his hook shots he can make, he’s always made his jump shots. He’s a problem now, pick-and-popping the post. He’s playing great.”
On what the difference is with this team and midseason …
“It’s a big difference. Everybody is starting to fill in their roll, we have our bigs playing every night. We got Skal doing what he can do, and everybody is just playing hard.”
On if it isn’t the same team from a month ago …
“This is definitely not the same team. We had a lot of young guys who are now focused every time we step on the court. Everybody is coming out and playing their heart out, and we’re just trying to keep going and winning.”
On Jamal Murray’s bow-and-arrow move …
“I don’t know where he got it, but he was pretty clever. He does it every time he makes a 3.”
On Alex Poythress emulating the move …
“Nah, it’s not for him. (laughter)”
On if he would ever do that move …
“No, you’re not going to see me do that. It’s all for ‘Mal.”
On if he’s too serious for that …
“No, it’s just I don’t want to take someone else’s 3-point celebration.”
