Grizzlies 128, Wizards 104
BRIAN KEEFE: I'll start it off first. Give credit to Memphis. They came out and played a great game. They established their physicality early. I didn't think we responded as much as we should. We tried a little bit in the second half to fight that back but they imposed their will on the game. Give credit to them.
Q. At halftime the turnovers were a big key for you guys. Only five in that second half. What allowed you to clean it up in the second half?
BRIAN KEEFE: We made a good adjustment playing off of two feet, getting in the paint and then pivoting and making the simple passes. We got caught in the air in the first half trying to make the home run play. When we just kept it simple, we were able to make the right reads.
Q. For Corey, the way he got to the free-throw line, what did you like about his aggressiveness and the nine free throw attempts?
BRIAN KEEFE: They were taking away the three, so he was just reading the game, putting pressure on the rim. I like when he's aggressive. It's good for our team.
Q. Kyshawn seems to be stringing together some really good performances. Another efficient game for him. What have you seen from him game to game as he continues to grow and develop?
BRIAN KEEFE: Just his basketball IQ. He's always shown that sense, and obviously we talked about sometimes you make or miss shots. Now he's making some of those, the ones he's had earlier in the season. He's got a good rhythm, but it's his basketball IQ. Just being able to read the game the way he has is helping our team.
Q. Coming into this, a lot of people thought that Ja Morant would be the assignment for Bilal. Obviously with him being out, it shifts the mindset. Aldama, Pippen, Kennard, Wells, when you guys went to the zone, Triple J. What is it about his ability to switch and play multiple different styles of offensive players?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, that's one of our things that we really expect from Bilal is his defensive versatility to guard multiple guys. We're going to continue to do that with him, but that's one of his strengths.
Q. What did you think about your team's overall effort today?
BRIAN KEEFE: I didn't think we were as physical and didn't try to push them off their spots as much as we have in recent games. That was definitely not as good as we have been.
But credit to them. They established their identity and their physicality on both the offensive and defensive end. We need to be better.
Q. With Alex, it seemed like at times that Triple J was giving him a lot of trouble. What did you see in that matchup?
BRIAN KEEFE: He had some tough floaters at first, but then our shell and our principles people weren't over there to help, so it wasn't just Alex, it was our team defense wasn't as solid as it should have been.
Q. It seemed like you did not agree with a lot of the officiating calls made today. Did you disagree with some of the calls?
BRIAN KEEFE: The officiating calls is -- when you're the aggressor, you usually get more of their calls, so again, credit to Memphis; they were the aggressor tonight, so they got the calls.
Q. You had talked earlier and throughout the game about your team getting back. Did you feel like y'all were able to execute that part of the game plan?
BRIAN KEEFE: Not early for sure. They were able to get out and get some transition baskets. That's how they play. I thought it was a little better as the game went on, but that first half our transition defense wasn't as strong as it has been.
Q. With the veterans out that are injured right now, is that part of the problem as far as the early turnovers and these young kids trying to find their way in the NBA?
BRIAN KEEFE: No, actually not. We've actually been pretty good with our turnovers. We struggled in the preseason a little bit with that stuff, but for the most part we actually have been one of the better teams in the league at not turning the ball over. Today Memphis did a good job of pressuring us, playing in places we didn't want to be, so credit to them, but we did a better job in the second half.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports