Spurs 131, Wizards 121
Q. What did you like and what did you not like tonight?
BRIAN KEEFE: Loved the fight. Loved the competitiveness. Didn't love the start. Got down 18, and you never want to do that in the first quarter. Tough uphill sledding after that.
But we got it to 10 to end that quarter and then we cut it to three by half, and the fight was good. It was a back-and-forth game the rest of the game. But when you give yourself an 18-point deficit, sometimes that's a lot to overcome.
Q. Normally I'd ask you how does a three-point shooter hit three consecutive threes being so open, but Wembanyama had his heel on the logo. How tough is it to play effective defense when anyone is hitting threes from 30 feet --
BRIAN KEEFE: Tough shots. Give him credit. Tip your hat. He made some tough ones and he made like three in a row right there in the first quarter. Obviously he's a very special player.
I thought we did okay with him after that stretch to be honest. We tried to make life difficult on him. We tried different matchups on him, tried some different coverages, but that run really pushed them ahead to start the game.
Q. What did you think of Vukcevic's night, what he did well, what he might be able to improve on?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought he was terrific. We put him on some different matchups, some smaller guys. Offensively you see his skill set and what he can do in terms of the passing, the shooting, the basketball IQ. He really was the one that sparked a lot of the early run in the game, so terrific game by Tristan.
Q. I want to ask about Justin, both on the offensive side of things but also he was one of the guys that you threw against Victor for a stretch here and there. What did you think of his game?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought he was great. I thought him and Bilal did a good job when we went smaller guy on him, being physical and trying to make him take tough shots. I thought those guys did a nice job. Justin was good tonight.
Q. Bub has one of the best pump fakes in the league; how does that really translate to his game, and how does he improve on that?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, he does. That's a good observation. He has a great pump fake. He gets a lot of people to fly by, hits shots off that, and then he also can drive and make plays. He has a good feel for that for a young player. It's really impressive.
Q. First off, obviously a tough loss and a very hard-fought game. How much do you think shot selection has an impact in what adjustments you think can be made with regards to that?
BRIAN KEEFE: I thought we took a little bit early in the game. I think that's what got us in trouble. It was some no-pass-off-the-dribble threes early and I think we changed that after that early start, and then we were able to get in the paint, which we ended up getting a lot of points in the paint and that fueled the rest of the game.
But when we're attacking the paint and kicking out, which we did later for most of that three quarters of the game, I'd say, I liked how we played. Just some early ones where we got a little stagnant, didn't get the ball movement we usually have been getting, but I thought we self-corrected, and that helped propel us back into the game.
Q. Jordan, 4 of 18 from the field, 2 of 13 from three. Are you seeing some of the effects with Kyle gone the extra attention he's starting to receive?
BRIAN KEEFE: No.
Q. What do you think is contributing to the off shooting night tonight?
BRIAN KEEFE: Nothing. Just missed shots. He had 45 points the other night. Some guys have an off-night. Jordan is one of those guys. Every guy in the NBA has some off nights where they don't make shots. He had very makeable shots that we want him to take. Sometimes they go in. For the most part, his go in. Sometimes they didn't. But I didn't think that affected his game, and he continued to play. It contributed to helping us get back in the game. It was one of those games; that happens.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports