Nets 122, Wizards 119 (OT)
Q. In such a closely fought game, what do you point to as the difference?
BRIAN KEEFE: They made some key shots down the stretch. It was back and forth pretty much the whole fourth quarter. Our defense didn't start off as good as it has been the last couple games, but we really ramped it up in the fourth. We got a little stagnant. That's on me. I've got to help our guys get more organized and get some better shots. But at the end I'll live with some of those shots we got in the overtime, in and out, from Kyle. Jordan had a great shot, and then Corey at the free throw line. Like all those things were really positive.
Credit to our guys for being super resilient, much better defensive second half, especially the fourth quarter, but it took us a little while to get our defense going, and that's what we're trying to build.
Q. How is Richaun? We saw him walking out. What did his exit from the game force upon you with the rotation?
BRIAN KEEFE: We were obviously down a big, so we played a little bit smaller. Anthony Gill came in, gave us great energy and stuff. Marvin was able to play a little bit more extended minutes as he's progressing.
Both positive from those guys, and we'll see how Richaun came out.
Q. I asked you pregame when you talk about Jordan Poole playing point guard, and he handled the ball for a lot of the game tonight and I thought he had his best game of the season. What did you see from him in that role?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, obviously he's been great. This has been something that we envisioned when we put the ball in his hands. We have complete trust in him to make decisions for himself and his teammates, and obviously he had a big scoring night. But he's been playing very well since we've initiated him more to initiate the offense. This is the style we want him to play, be aggressive for himself but also for his teammates. He draws a huge crowd, and that frees up his other guys.
Q. What did you think about the way that Marvin played tonight?
BRIAN KEEFE: Marvin was great. Comes in, 24 minutes, had 18 and 7. I loved his energy when he came back in overtime, protecting the rim, rebounding. Very positive.
Q. Do you guys have to keep a minutes restriction in mind with him or anything with the back, coming back?
BRIAN KEEFE: No real minutes restriction, but we are being cautious.
Q. After Corey missed that free throw in the overtime, did you notice his teammates picking him up and trying to free up the pressure on him?
BRIAN KEEFE: Our guys are great. We've got a great group. They're super supportive of each other, success or when things don't go exactly for a teammate. That's what I've always been impressed about our group since I've been coaching the team. This is a group that has great camaraderie and has each other's back all the time.
Q. Kuz had a big game, 10 assists, no turnovers. How do you think he looked coming back from injury?
BRIAN KEEFE: He looked great. His ability to attack the rim and then spray the ball out -- 10 assists, zero turnovers, he just draws so much attention for himself because of his ability to get to the basket, and then he's seeing these pictures where guys have openings, finding them. This is great growth. Again, this is another guy we want to put the ball in the hands and make decisions. He did a great job tonight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports