Celtics 130, Wizards 104
Q. It was tied at 17-17. What do you think changed after that?
BRIAN KEEFE: We lost Hauser and Tatum. For sure that was the biggest issue. Those guys hit threes, and that extended the lead. We had a little trouble scoring in that stretch. But those guys got open looks, and that's what changed the game.
Q. What was it like as they did get hot from three, the Celtics, and you guys tried to turn the tide in that area?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, we didn't do a great job in the first half, and they got away from us in that first quarter. We got a little bit more under control in the second, but again, they made shots that were rhythm. We didn't take away those shots. That was the disappointing for us. But the good part, again, we showed resiliency in the second half. A lot of guys had to play extended minutes because of some of the circumstances. Those guys played as hard as they possibly could, and we ended up winning the second half.
Q. How is Geno doing?
BRIAN KEEFE: Came down on someone's foot during the game. We'll see how he responds.
Q. I wonder what the conversation you were having with your guys on offense early in the first half went. Obviously they're undersized against Celtics starters and everything and relying a lot on the three ball. Are you trying to get them to move the ball more and stick to the perimeter or do you want them to drive? What's the conversation?
BRIAN KEEFE: It's always follow the principles we talk about. Defend, we want to get out and play with pace, and then we want to get into the paint and attack and kick out for threes. I thought we actually had some good looks that didn't go in early. That contributed to some of their run. But we also got a little stagnant at times, too.
Q. What did you make of Justin Champagine's performance?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought Justin was great. Late addition to the starting lineup. He's been positive when we've put him out, and we put him on Tatum. Great learning experience for him. Rebounded well, and then he makes good decisions when he's on the court. I thought it was a positive night for him.
Q. As a whole, a lot of people say that young fringe NBA players play harder because they want to prove their worth. What did you make of as a whole the young guys today like Johnny, Justin, Jules Bernard?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think those guys have been pretty much the same every time they play. They come out, they play with an edge. They play defense. They try to do the right thing. I've always been pleased anytime those guys have gotten an opportunity. It shows their level of preparation, obviously our level of communication, our one organization with our G-League today, the Go-Go. Those guys, whenever they're called upon, they're always ready.
Q. Increasingly rare off night for Corey offensively. What did they do to limit him?
BRIAN KEEFE: I don't think it was as much something they did. He had some good looks early. We tried to go a different direction with some other guys to give some other guys some minutes, but I don't worry about Corey and his shooting. This guy makes shots. That's what he does.
Q. You mentioned Sam and Tatum kind of getting loose in the first half. What would you have liked to see better from your defense as far as guarding?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, with Hauser, that's what he does. He's a catch and shoot guy. Try to take him off the line. He got loose a little bit on some scrambles, some offensive rebounds, a little bit in transition, so he got it in a variety of ways. Tatum is going to make tough shots. You try to make that as tough as possible. I thought he got a couple easier looks than we probably would have liked. He's going to make some tough ones, and you're going to have to live with those.
Q. What can you take from the last game against the Rockets going into Tuesday?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think there's always lessons to be learned. We can take what we learned. We'll take a look at the film. We'll dig into it. We've got a couple days to prepare, so we're ready for the opportunity on Tuesday.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports