Timberwolves 120, Wizards 106
Q. You mentioned moving the ball. What do you think led to that?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think it was just our unselfishness, hitting the open man. When you do those things, good things will happen. You're not always going to make those shots, but the process was right. We didn't make them early; to be honest, we weren't shooting great early. I think that started changing midway through the second quarter, but we kept making the right play, and I think that really helped us the whole game.
The guys were connected tonight. It was a good job by them. Really proud that they responded after a tough game yesterday.
Q. With the young guys and just the number of games and minutes they're starting to accumulate in their rookie seasons, how have you seen them respond to that responsibility?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought they were great tonight. I think they're responding really well. Bilal, Alex, Bub, Kyshawn all had great games tonight, and that's the second night of a back-to-back versus one team that has the best record maybe in the league and a team that was in the Western Conference Finals last year, so it's not like we're playing any slouches out there. We stepped up, and those guys are handling the load of the minutes and getting better. But pleased with how they're doing.
Q. How have you liked the way they've formed routines and habits?
BRIAN KEEFE: Great. Those have been really good. Really impressed with who they are as human beings, their character, their care for the game, and then the amount of work that they're putting in. That stuff has been top of the line, and I've seen a lot of guys through my years, so I know what that looks like, and those guys are doing a great job with that.
Q. Kyshawn in particular, how did you think he played tonight?
BRIAN KEEFE: Great, physical, deflections, hands on balls, made some great passes. Made a couple threes; obviously that's always nice. But I thought he just had a good imprint on the game. You could feel him out there.
Q. What did you think of Bilal's game on offense?
BRIAN KEEFE: Bilal was great, took what the game gave him, played a simple, efficient game. Obviously he had a massive chore on the defensive end, and I thought he did a good job on him for almost the whole game and then it was a little bit of a team breakdown at the end, but I thought Bilal played a really good game tonight.
Q. How pleased were you that Alex was okay on that ball, and how did you think he fared against Gobert?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought he did really well. Protected the rim for us. I saw some of his passing. Obviously he made some shots. I loved that he's okay and got up and made those free throws. That was a key basket for us. But those were two guys high in the eye; you're always scared when you see those type of collisions for sure.
Q. What are some things Alex can take from his month of play and apply for the rest of the season?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think the biggest thing Alex can take is just the work and learning what the preparation -- someone just asked that question, his habits. You continue just to fall into what you're doing and you create a great routine to get yourself ready to play. Hardest thing to do in this league is be consistent, and I think that's what our guys are trying to learn how to do. Those are great lessons, but how you do that is by your work ethic, your preparation, your routine, the structure that you create around your day, and I think he's been doing a fantastic job with that, and that's going to help him push forward to be more consistent as he grows in this league.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports