Wizards 113, Hornets 100
Q. This third quarter, it seemed like they were able to make a bit of a run on you guys and you withstood it. What did it take mentally for you guys to withstand that run?
BRIAN KEEFE: They made a run at the start of the third and we came out and really defended, got really physical and imposed our will a little bit on the game. 16 points in the third quarter, and that was really the difference, and that was everybody. From the guys who started to the guys who came off the bench, everybody contributed to that. Really good team effort defensively tonight for sure.
Q. I don't know how many players were in double figures, but I think it was like eight probably. On a night where you don't have Jordan, what does it mean to get that collective scoring effort?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, just the ball movement, that's how we want to play. I think we had eight, and I think Kyshawn had eight points himself, so that would have been nine. Just sharing it, once we started to settle down and not turning the ball over, which we did a little bit in the first half, we got good shots, but again, it was the defense that changed the game for us.
Q. Khris has been a steadying force but hasn't hit as many shots as he usually does. Tonight he hit those shots. What have you seen from him as he gets more adjusted to the offense?
BRIAN KEEFE: He's been doing this for a very long time. He's just getting his legs with us and learning some of the places he's going to get to his spots. But this is what this guy does. He's professional, a professional scorer.
Q. When you look at the rebounding, as much as Martin was on the boards, you guys were still able to withstand a lot of what they were trying with crashing the glass, especially on the offensive end. What did you like about the way you guys rebounded tonight?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, it was a challenge we put to ourselves before the game. The last couple days we didn't rebound well the last few. We wanted to come out and show we know how tough they are on the boards. I thought we did a good job on both ends securing possession, and that was an important thing we wanted to do tonight.
Q. Second half you guys also cleaned up the turnovers. That's something you have been really focused on wanting to do the last couple of games. What shifted in the second half from the first half with the way you guys were able to take care of the basketball?
BRIAN KEEFE: Just made the simple play, had good spacing, hit the open man. When we do stuff like that, that leads to multiple -- almost double-digit guys in double figures and high assist numbers, which we had tonight, and that's how we want to play.
Q. With Alex's first game back, what did you think of him inside the paint? Seems like a couple times he went to that post hook move.
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, it was good. I liked his activity. He's a presence out there for us, and you obviously can see stuff he does defensively, but just his ability to stretch the floor, drag their bigs, makes them do different coverages. It was good to have him back.
Q. What were kind of the situations that you were trying to find McDaniels playing time?
BRIAN KEEFE: He's one of those guys that's a really good defender, so sometimes when we go at the end of the quarters and we want to switch things, we can put him out there as a defensive lineup. He's played in the league before. He's done a terrific job for us in the G-League. We have confidence in him to use him in those situations for sure.
Q. It seemed like on the offensive end, as many players as you had in double figures, it almost seemed like in pockets different guys had their opportunity to kind of have a mini run stretch. On a night when you don't have Jordan, what does that do for the confidence of the team, knowing that, as you've said in the past, when one guy goes down, it's not one guy who can step up; it has to be collectively?
BRIAN KEEFE: Yeah, that's how we want to play. We want to play as a collective group. We show that we can play -- because we've good spacing when we've got guys who can make lots of decisions. When we do that, we're hard to guard and we make the simple plays, and we did that really the whole second half, which was great.
Q. Jordan's hyperextension, when did that happen?
BRIAN KEEFE: It happened in our last game on a defensive possession.
Q. Do you know --
BRIAN KEEFE: I don't remember the specific example or the time, but I know it was on the defensive end.
Q. Do you have an idea of the time out for him?
BRIAN KEEFE: I don't yet, no.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports