Heat 119, Wizards 107
Q. What were your main takeaways from that game?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: First, I just want to thank God for another game, getting us through healthy, giving us the opportunity to even do this. Without Him, we wouldn't even be here.
I just think we were just missing shots tonight, a lot of open shots that guys normally hit, they just weren't falling today. They went on a run at the end of the second quarter going into halftime that kind of gave them a little momentum going into the third.
Then we started a little slow. They went on a run, and it was hard to get out of that. We eventually cut it to 10, but it's hard to fight back when your shot is not falling.
I think we played pretty good defense, but overall our shots just weren't falling, but the process of getting those shots and making the right plays to get those shots, I'll take that every day. But you have days like that. We've just got to figure out how to get better.
Q. Corey was talking last game about how fatigue, especially at this point in the season, is kind of more mental than it is physical. When you guys have three games in four days, you're missing seven players on the bench, for you is it more of a mindset thing? You have to tell yourself my legs are not tired right now, don't worry about it?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: Yeah, you've just got to go play. How I look at it is everybody is not 100 percent. This is the time of year where you're going to have to play through some things, and there's things going to be nagging you, you might be a little tired, but everybody is feeling like that.
I try and use that as an excuse, just still preparing the right way, recover the right way, and just go out and compete, play hard, and do our best, and I can live with that. I can live with the result of going out, playing hard, doing my best, and I can sleep at night.
Q. Speaking of people being 100 percent, not being 100 percent, how have you felt since you came back from the injury?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: I feel great. I feel great. I was kind of playing through that for a while, the back issue. I was playing through it, trying to get through it and doing my best to be out there for the team.
But now I feel good. The time that I was out, I did a lot of recovery, did a lot of different things in the weight room, in the training room to make sure I'm feeling good. So I feel good right now, and I just thank God for my health, and I've just got to keep continuing to push until the end of the year.
Q. How is your comfort level with the team and what they're trying to do on the court to evolve over the past few months since you arrived?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: I mean, I'm comfortable now. I think first few weeks took me a little bit to kind of figure out what guys like to do out there on the court, how guys play a little bit, but now I kind of have a pretty good idea of that, just watching film, just playing I don't know how many games I've played here.
But every game just figuring it out, and I think I'm at the point now where I understand what guys like to do, where they like to be out there, and I'm just trying to make it easier for them, and they make it a lot easier for me.
We're getting that chemistry together.
Q. What can you tell us about Anthony Gill, what he brought to the court tonight, and what kind of an atmosphere he brings to the locker room?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: Oh, man, Anthony, since I've been here and been around him, he's the definition of a professional. He shows up every day. He's always helping everyone out. He's communicating when he's -- the games he doesn't play, he's involved, he's communicating, encouraging, and he's always getting his work in. That's why he's able to go in in a game like that and do what he did tonight.
Yeah, I'm proud of him. I'm happy for him. Yeah, that's my guy, man. It's good to see him playing well like that. It's good to see the process that goes into that and for him to go out there is pretty cool.
Q. Did you ever have a vet like that when you were in Sacramento or Detroit?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: To be honest, no, not really. I came in with a young team. We didn't really have that vet on our team in Sacramento. In Detroit we had a few that I learned from. But over the years, I kind of had to grow into that myself and pick and choose things from these guys that I can put into my recovery, to put into my routine. I'm just learning every year. This is my sixth year, and just continuing to grow and continuing to learn, and having guys like AG around is definitely positive to kind of look at and see how I can do the same and help the team the same that he does.
Q. Seven games left this season; what do you think the biggest thing that the team can learn and take away from these last few contests?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: Just finish strong. At this point of the year it's easy to kind of say seven games left, not making the Playoffs, whatever, let's relax, chill. I don't look at it like that. Every game I'm playing -- I will speak for the rest of the guys, too. We're playing like there is a chance we can make the Playoffs. That's how we've got to look at it. That's what we want to be in the future. That's how we've got to attack these games. We've got to come in, play like it's Game 1 and just continue to play like that until the last game. Have the whole summer to regroup and come back and build on that.
Q. You mentioned being on a young team in Sacramento, about having a veteran like Anthony Gill. How valuable can it be for young players on this team to look up to him and also to you, guys who can lead by example who have been through it before?
MARVIN BAGLEY III: I think that's very important. All my years in the league, I think having somebody in the locker room that has had experience, that has been in situations, that has experienced a lot of different things that a lot of young guys are just now experiencing or haven't experienced it enough, that's a big plus to have in the locker room.
For me, I've been on all sides. I've been a starter. I've came off the bench. I've got some DNPs before, injuries. I've kind of experienced a lot of the NBA, the aspects of going into the NBA, and kind of take that and just try to spread what I know to whoever I can. That's kind of my mindset, and that's how I try to be a leader and lead by example, and I think it's good to have vets like that in the locker room.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports