Rockets 107, Wizards 92
BRIAN KEEFE: One thing I liked about our team tonight -- we didn't get the win, which is always going to bother us because we're competitive people in our organization, but we were resilient throughout the game. Closed the first quarter, second quarter cut the lead, so they got a little bit of run in the third and then we closed and I think we got it to six.
We didn't play perfect basketball, but our resiliency was high, and I was really happy for our guys that we continued to battle, and then they made a little push late to extend the lead. But there was no one moment of letting go.
That's the type of stuff that's going to help grow in our organization, so I was really happy for the guys. Not happy that we didn't win, but I was happy with our resiliency that we showed tonight.
I'll open it up for questions.
Q. What did you think of the Sengun and Sarr matchup the first three quarters?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought -- Alex was in. We brought him back to start the fourth. He was part of that group that was out there to help make the run. He scored on a couple late, but like I said, this is part of the maturation of going through this league. You have to see all these different types of match-ups. I've coached a lot of great players in this league, lots of them, and you have to go through the fire, and you learn by doing and being out there and seeing what it feels like.
He had some good moments, he had some tough moments, but that's part of the learning process. It's not just ABC, keep getting better. Sometimes it's a little bit here and you make a jump. He made a little jump in that fourth and then they got him late in the game, but that's part of it.
Q. What was it that allowed to you make those runs to get those closes that you wanted that you really liked about the way they put things together and taught and showed that resiliency?
BRIAN KEEFE: Defense. Our defense carried throughout the game. When we needed to make the run, we got stops and we stayed committed to that. We turned them over. That fueled us getting some easy baskets. We shared the ball. But it was our defense that made us sustain the game and keep in the game.
Q. Kyle's first game back, what did you see?
BRIAN KEEFE: He brings great energy, great competitiveness. Obviously his ability to get downhill as a play maker and as a scorer, nice to have him back out there.
Q. Did you notice any rust in his game?
BRIAN KEEFE: I did not, no. Pretty impressive for not playing for a bit. Tons of energy, looked like himself, really helpful for our team. Glad he's back.
Q. What was it about the bench that was able to -- was it just as simple as adding Kyshawn back to that mix with the second unit, or was it just they were able to kind of take advantage in their opportunities against the Rockets' second unit?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think we have a deep team, and we're going to get more guys back. We have a deep roster who can have different lineups, different combos. We saw more of that tonight. We entered Kyle back into the starting lineup and that changed some of our rotations and our lineups. I think you're seeing some of our versatility, which is a strength, I think, of our team.
Q. How much are you almost in a way relishing the fact that you have a good problem in getting Kyle back and having to figure out these rotations versus looking down your bench and wishing, man, I wish I had these guys? Is that a good problem in your position to have, that you have to figure it out?
BRIAN KEEFE: Always a good problem when guys are healthy and available, A, for their own sakes. I want to see all these guys on the court. These guys love to play. They put a lot of time in.
So I was thrilled at Kyle, how he attacked his rehab. Really impressive, and then he got back on the court tonight, and that's what all of our guys do when they have these things that come up. But like I said, this offers opportunities for others, and we had growth. We played a lot of guys who have never played in the NBA a lot of minutes. Great growth. All these things matter and they all help.
Q. Jordan had eight turnovers today. He hasn't really had too many issues taking care of the ball so far. Was anything different today?
BRIAN KEEFE: You've got to give credit to the other team sometimes. They were physical with him, great ball pressure with them. They were trying to take him out of his game. He had some turnovers tonight, but still, you've got to remember he's always No. 1 on the other team's scouting. Just by him, the crowds that he gathers is going to give shots to everybody else.
Even though he got caught up in some turnovers, he probably still created a lot of momentum for other guys because of the amount of attention that he draws.
Q. He also had four steals. You've talked a lot about his defensive impact. How impressive is it to see him doing it 10 games into the season?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, he's been great. Since I started coaching the team last year, he's been the same. I think he's upped it this year with his defensive pressure. He's got really quick hands, and when he's active, he can get steals and he's been doing that this year.
Q. Only two shot attempts from Bilal in the second half, did anything in particular lead to that?
BRIAN KEEFE: No. He had a charge of guarding their best player. We went to some other ways. We scored enough, but his defense was a huge key. Green didn't have his usual typical night. He had a big game versus the last time we played him. Bilal did a great job on him, tried to make him as tough as possible. Sometimes the shots just went other directions tonight. That's just part of the game.
Q. Corey had three steals himself. It seems like the season on the defensive end when something doesn't go the way it's supposed to, he gets frustrated, and it's not something that we're accustomed to seeing from him because of that kind of challenge and him challenging himself to take that next step defensively. What does that say about him getting frustrated when things don't go the way it's supposed to defensively?
BRIAN KEEFE: He cares, and we have a bunch of guys like that. We have a bunch of competitors in our room, guys who are really diligent about their game and want to be good players and care about the things that go into winning. That's an example of that. Corey wants to be a better defender. He has shown that this year. He's being more physical. So when things don't go his way, hey, he showed quick frustration, then he moves on. I love it. It's the competitiveness we want from our guys.
Q. 14 steals for you guys tonight. Is that around where you want to be, or do you want to see more?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think if we were more, we'd probably be one of the leaders, so we'll take 14 is a good number, but it's a team thing. It's our ability to be in the shell, be tight, make that paint look crowded. I thought when we did that, we forced them into some tough places that caused them to have some turnovers, but it was our intensity level that allowed us to stay in the game.
Our defense traveled, and it got better by the quarter. I think it was 27. 25, 23 the last three quarters, so each quarter our defense got better, and that allowed us to stay in the game, so good stuff by our defense tonight.
Q. When you're in a long losing streak like this, is there anything that you do or is there anything a night like tonight helps, when you keep it close, just keeping the team morale?
BRIAN KEEFE: I don't worry about our team with that because we have high-character guys, and these guys are putting the work in daily and they're growing and they're together. There's always lessons to be learned from every game, things that you're going to take and that you can hopefully get better and take that lesson.
But our guys are competitors. They're workers. No one wants to lose here. We have a competitive organization. But our team is a bunch of fighters, and that was what we saw tonight. Just didn't go our way at the end. But I liked the fight.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports