Spurs 131, Wizards 127
Q. Marvin, how tough is a game like this to stomach, a loss like this?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: It's super tough. We had a good chance to win there in the fourth, up 12 -- I think it was 12. We missed some shots. They went on a run and cut it down and ended up winning. It's always tough when you compete like that, fight our way through the whole game to get in that position and then kind of let it go and let loose at the end. It's a hard pill to swallow.
We've just got to learn from it. The good thing about the game is we've got another one tomorrow, another opportunity to come out and try to get another win. So we've just got to watch the game, watch the film back tonight, wake up tomorrow, scratch it and get ready for the next one.
Q. What's it been like these last few games not knowing much of the playbook and starting and playing heavy minutes?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: It's all a learning process right now for me. I'm still picking up things Game 2. But it's coming along. I think it's coming along faster than I thought it would. The guys have been helping me out a lot out there on the court, in the locker room, coaches watching film with me. It's coming together. I'm just excited to get to the point where I'm comfortable with everything, comfortable with the system, and to where I feel like I can do second nature without having to second-guess sometimes if I'm doing the right or wrong thing.
Like I said, it's basketball at the end of the day, just go out there, compete, play hard. You make a mistake, the coaches will tell you. You fix it, and just continue to move forward, continue to stack days.
Q. Had you played against Wembanyama previously with the Pistons and what was the matchup like tonight?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: That was my first time playing him. He's a great talent, obviously, the things he can do out there with the basketball, and him being 7'4", whatever it is, they just throw it up to him, and he just creates.
It's definitely tough playing a guy like that, but it's a fun challenge. Yeah, look forward to many more battles.
Q. Before your first game against the Knicks, we kind of talked about that pick-and-roll connection with Tyus. He mentioned he was excited to work with you on that, and it looks like it's kind of come a long way even over the last few games. He's had a pretty good number of assists to you in the pick-and-roll. How is that connection coming along?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: It's great. He's a great point guard. I've been watching him. Obviously he went to Duke, so been keeping eyes on him. When he was at Memphis, just watching how he plays the game. To be able to be his teammate now and figure out where he likes me to set the screen, how I want to set the screen, how I should roll out, what he prefers to come off, just those conversations have been very helpful, and we continue to have those conversations, that dialogue out there on the floor, as well.
Just continuing to build on that and keep putting one foot in front of the other and just continuing to stack good days.
Q. Tonight you showed a little bit of that ability to step out beyond the three-point line. How does your game feel there? What's your comfort beyond the three-point line and where do you look to go forward with that?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: I'm very comfortable with that, shooting that shot. I just think opportunities in past situations, systems and things like that, I've been playing within that. But I'm very comfortable shooting that, and if I have -- I'll work on it pretty much every day. A lot of shots in the summertime, to be able to shoot it with confidence. Like I said, if I have an opportunity to shoot it and it's a great shot, I'm going to let it fly and trust all the work that I've put in and just shoot it. You never know if it's going to go in if you never shoot it. That's my mindset, and just try to continue to just play hard, and whenever those opportunities come, take them.
Q. How well of a front court tandem do you and Daniel Gafford pose when you line up going forward?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: I'm excited, man, to play when he gets back out there. I played against him before. I love his game. He gets on the glass. He's a lob threat. He can dunk. He brings energy.
To kind of be able to have that on the same team, a guy like me and a guy like him, I think it'll be fun. I'm excited to see how we play together. I'm excited to see what happens moving forward.
Q. When you were with Detroit, you did face Denver. What kinds of things schematically are you focused in on for tomorrow?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: That depends on the coaching staff and what they want to do, how they want to go into the game.
Yeah, I played against Denver already this season, and we just tried to make it as hard for Jokic as possible. That was really our game plan, push his catches out, don't let him catch in his comfort spot, and just compete. That's really it.
Like I say, once tomorrow comes, we have our walk-through, we figure out how we want to guard him and the rest of those guys. But I think it's all about effort and sticking to whatever the game plan is and doing it with our best foot forward.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports