Sacramento Kings 123, Washington Wizards 100
Q. Your thoughts on that one?
BRIAN KEEFE: Didn't like our start, but I thought we made -- just kind of were getting it to ten; could never really get past that.
We had some good spurts but then we had some spurts that weren't consistent enough. Obviously we didn't shoot the ball great tonight, but like it was more than that.
But I did think we tried to find a way and find solutions to get back in the game. We gave up a three at the end of that quarter. I think would've been ten going into the fourth on that jump ball. I think we still cut it to ten within the fourth and then they made a little spurt plate.
Not enough consistency, but I did like our fight at times.
Q. Seemed like Alex at times inside played with a little bit more force. This is a continuing trend for him over the course of the season. What have you seen with him in those situations, and what do you make of his play inside?
BRIAN KEEFE: I liked his aggressiveness, attacking the rim, got to the free throw line some tonight. I like that. Playing with force, strong. He shows his ability to get in there. Thought that was good.
He's improving with that.
Q. What are the steps for him to continue making that a part of his game, and what can that unlock for him overall offensively?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think he's reading those things pretty well, when to drive, when to shoot it, when to make the next pass. Continue to be aggressive. I think those things will suit him well. We want him to put force on the rim; he's shown ability to do that. I think he is going to continue to get better with that.
Q. Second half of the evening you guys did a much more consistent job of trying to keep them off the offensive boards than we saw in the first half.
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah.
Q. What was it about the effort in the second half that it was there to try and limit what they were trying to do on the second-chance opportunities?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, thought we did a good job of being crowded to the paint, make them shoot pull-up jump shots, and then we were good on the boards. So we were making them take shots where we wanted them, weren't falling them, and then we were able to clean up the glass and that kept us in the game.
I said in spurts we had some really good defensive efforts and some other times not as great. There were some good resolve there at times in the game.
Q. Another night when the shots aren't necessarily falling for the starters your bench steps up to give you some spark. What was it that Corey and J.V. seemed to find their way scoring-wise?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought those guys came in great. Jonas played a terrific game. He settled us down. He was good on the boards. Corey and Kyshawn with their movement and shooting and play making was great some good positives there.
Q. Coach, Domantas Sabonis that first nine minutes, 14 points and 7 rebounds. That really caused you guys some problems even though you hung on.
BRIAN KEEFE: Sure, transition. That was the part I was disappointed in early, is that he was getting the ball off the board, he was pushing in transition, we weren't building our shell.
That's how he plays. He really affected the game. I thought as the game went we got better with that.
Q. What could Alex Sarr learn from his performance against Sabonis tonight?
BRIAN KEEFE: First time seeing this guy. Obviously terrific player, guy who played a long time in this league. His play making, his ability to rebound, ability to push. We've seen Alex do some of that stuff.
Alex he has the ability to rebound, push the ball, make plays. Obviously this is a guy does it at a super high level.
Good experience for him. It's good for him to see all the guys he's seen. It is going to add to his tool belt in terms of corporate knowledge of how to guard the guys, how to play against him. That's always good.
Q. Was a tough game for Kyle on offense. What did you see from his shot selection?
BRIAN KEEFE: I think he was trying to get downhill. They walled him up a little bit. Sometimes hit some of those running hooks he's pretty good at. I liked his threes. Some of them were late shot clock which he had to take. Our offense got stalled out.
I liked his aggressiveness. Some of the ones that he usually hits getting in the paint didn't go in as often as they should.
Q. Seemed like when he came back from the rib injury he was a little bit more aggressive than earlier in the season. Since he had the calf contusion, do you think he's moved back a little bit in that regard?
BRIAN KEEFE: No, I liked his aggressiveness. He's been good. Like I said he's getting his rhythm back. He has had intermittent stops here in the season, but I've liked how he's played lately. He's getting more and stronger in each game. Obviously had a great game yesterday. But his ability to make plays for us is critical getting downhill, putting pressure on the paint.
I like how he's trending for sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports