Nuggets 113, Wizards 104
Q. Your first game back. How excited were you to hear Wes say you get Nikola?
DANIEL GAFFORD: I mean, I was good. I knew kind of how my night was going to be, so I really just kind of put my hardhat on, just went out, took a step up to the challenge. That was the main thing. Just came out and just did the best I could pretty much.
Q. Obviously had a season high, but what do you think you did well that was complementary?
DANIEL GAFFORD: Pretty much I feel like I came out and just -- I tried to just have like maximum level of aggression pretty much. At the end of the day, just Jokic, he's a big guy, and just trying to match his physicality was kind of one of the main things that I wanted to really just go out and see if I can improve on. Time and time again, when I've guarded him, there's been times where it's like, he's just -- pretty much just banging and banging in there. It's just trying to just take that step and just match that physicality is something that I really wanted to just really work on tonight.
At the end of the day, sooner or later they're going to let me do it.
Q. What does Marvin Bagley bring to the team?
DANIEL GAFFORD: I mean, he brings a lot. He brings another lob threat. He brings a big that can stretch the floor, make offense for himself, and he just comes out and he just works. He puts a hardhat on, too, when he comes off the bench, and when he first got here and when he was starting, I was just watching, he was out there just being himself, just doing the things Marvin Bagley does, which I'm excited to have him on the team and really just seeing him just strive to do the things that he's been doing.
Q. Wes has not said anything about this, but last year there was a little bit of experimentation with both you and Kristaps starting. Would that be something that maybe you would think about being excited about with Bagley?
DANIEL GAFFORD: Oh, yeah, of course. For sure. It's like a one-two punch at the end of the day. Yeah, most definitely I would for sure like to experiment something with that, just because of the simple fact that it's just going to be something that's going to be tough to adjust to, I would say, if we do it the right way.
Q. You returned to a very difficult assignment. What was your mindset just coming back instead of taking one more game off?
DANIEL GAFFORD: Even though I was close, don't foul out. That was just the main thing. Anytime that I've guarded Nikola, I've always fouled out or always was like at least, like tonight, one foul call away. That was just kind of like the main thing was just trying to keep frustration as one of the things that stayed away from this game because I needed all the mental focus to just be on trying to find some type of way to stop him at the end of the day.
With that being easier said than done, I just came out, and I felt like in all honesty I took a step in the right direction for sure.
Q. How about the mindset of helping the team, even though it was going to be a tough night, coming back from a tough injury?
DANIEL GAFFORD: Really just -- mindset was just the same as any other game pretty much. Come out and just try to set the tone. That's the main thing. Set the tone on the glass, set the tone offensively, defensively. Wherever I need to set the tone, that's what I wanted to do. Just coming out tonight, that was just the same mindset as any other game that I've been in.
Q. How serious did the concussion symptoms feel, and how tough is it to remain patient when you face an injury like that?
DANIEL GAFFORD: With me, for sure patience is just something that this year I've gotten better at because any other year I probably would have tried to rush through it just because of just wanting to be back on the floor. Patience has gotten better when it comes through, just like major injuries like that, but the symptoms were crazy. I really couldn't withstand any light, noise. In all honesty, I really couldn't withstand anything.
But I had the right people taking care of me. Got a lot of sleep, most definitely, and I'm back now. We're good to go.
Q. It was a career high four blocks for Bilal. What have you thought about his ability as a rim protector?
DANIEL GAFFORD: Oh, it's great because he's growing as a player game in, game out. He's showing what he can do on the offensive end, but he's most definitely showing what he can do on the defensive end. The sky's the limit for young Bilal.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports