Spurs 124, Wizards 113
Q. For both of you, the third quarter you both got hot. What was it that you were seeing from an offensive standpoint that allowed you both to carve up what the Spurs were trying to do defensively?
BUB CARRINGTON: Our coach allowed us to just play with a little bit more freedom, I would say. We were exploring different matchups that we thought were better for us, and he allowed us to, and we were just confident and aggressive in those actions, and they worked out for us in the third quarter.
TRE JOHNSON: I'd just say we just came out with more juice, more energy. I thought we started to play for one another more, just with our body movement I would say, not as much standing and watching, just constantly moving, just creating more opportunities for everybody else.
Q. How have the two of you -- this might be a Tre question before a Bub question, but played off of one another with the way you can both play with the ball in your hand but as well to facilitate for your teammates? It seems like you're getting more comfortable playing off of Bub and vice versa, as well.
TRE JOHNSON: Yeah, we're actually both still figuring it out. He still misses me at times and he hears about it, but yeah, I'd just say just keep having trust that he'll find me. He knows my strengths, I know his strengths. We're just playing off of that, to be honest.
BUB CARRINGTON: Like he said, still obviously room to improve. I've got to work on not missing him, I guess, at times, but it's coming along for sure. It's really about what we do in the gym in the off-season because I feel like that helps. We learn each other in practices and not in games, more than we do in games. By that time, a couple games, a couple years, maybe it'll click.
Q. Bub, what was it like going into the game? What was the approach knowing that you're down both Alex and Marvin at the center position?
BUB CARRINGTON: Fight. Don't give up. We were down a lot of bodies, like you said, but who cares. No one is going to feel sorry for us.
Q. Tre, what's it been like trying to come back off the injury?
TRE JOHNSON: Just really trying to move, not be too much stationary, standing. It's hard to guard somebody moving has been my main thing, and then just try to make shots off the movement, to be honest.
Q. Bub, it was a tough start to the season for you, but it seems like you've been more aggressive in recent games. Has that been an intentional approach for you to be aggressive on shots, especially those threes?
BUB CARRINGTON: Nah.
Q. Tre, how do you feel you've gotten better on offense this season?
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like I'm constantly improving, just try and watch film, especially with our coaches, and then just trying to do what's being asked of me by BK and all the coaches and then just doing whatever I can to help my teammates.
Q. Do you think you've gotten better at getting to the rim or anything in particular on offense?
TRE JOHNSON: I think I've gotten better at doing my job, doing my role. I feel like that's been the biggest thing for me, just trying to figure out my role and what the team needs and just be the best I can at that.
Q. Bub, how has Tre grown from your perspective?
BUB CARRINGTON: I've seen him, like he said, more embrace our offense, I would say, I guess. We all literally, like almost every single one of us have come from organizations or teams or whatever the case where the offense was us, but now we've got a lot of guys that obviously we can run a system now, and we just have seen him really improve and lock into what he can do in that system, and he's being very intentional about it.
Q. For both of you guys, I asked Coach Keefe when he was in here if he's noticed the last few games that you guys have shown more resiliency. Do you guys believe the same thing? He said yes.
BUB CARRINGTON: Yeah, for sure. Well, yes, I agree with our coach for sure. But I think it's just coming along because we're just a new team. I don't think we weren't necessarily being resilient in the first 10 games or whatever, but we're just being -- we're more -- we're playing better together because we're just playing more together. Like I said, it's just going to come with time.
TRE JOHNSON: I feel like early in the season, things would not go our way, and I feel like we would probably pout, give up, and of course teams are making runs and stuff like that, so it kind of looked that way. But I feel like more just whoever takes a shot or whatever doesn't go our way, just keep fighting and keep playing until the end of the game. I feel like that's been the best part about us.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports