Wizards 115, Trail Blazers 111
Q. Hi, Alex. First of all, what do you think made the difference for you guys that you got the win?
ALEX SARR: I think just luck and then defensively getting stops down at the end. That was the biggest thing.
Q. Seemed like you and Clingan had a great battle tonight. How would you describe that matchup?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, he was trying to be physical on the boards, so I just responded with physicality.
Q. Just thoughts overall on being a Rising Star again with Tre and Kyshawn?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, it's exciting. It's exciting that I get to go there with two of my teammates again. We're going to have a good time. It's a good experience, so I'm excited to play that game.
Q. And six blocks for you tonight. Obviously you get blocks all the time. Was there anything tonight particularly that you were seeing that was just helping you out defensively?
ALEX SARR: I feel like my teammates (indiscernible) up and then just trying to be physical and going in and getting them really.
Q. Can you speak to Jamir Watkins and his defense, both on the last possession against Shaedon Sharpe and the whole game?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, he's a lock-down defender. On that last play, like he gets under people's skin, makes them uncomfortable. Like it's hard to bring the ball up against him. Yeah, he's a big time defender.
Q. Be it Jamir or Bilal or Kyshawn or? Anybody on the wing really, when you have perimeter defense like that, do you feel more at ease in the paint defensively?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, most definitely. I know they're going to be active and in the passing lane or whatever. I know they'll be there and they probably can pressure more because they know I'm back there, too.
So it's a win-win.
Q. Question about your defensive high today. It was quite impressive. Of course the blocks, but apart from that (regarding in the paint.) This is what you said in the beginning of the season, one of your main objective is you want to be more present in the paint. How did that work out for you?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, most definitely. I want to be as impactful as I can be defensively. I still want to take more rebounds. That's a goal of mine.
Yeah, just getting blocks, being active, because that's what is really -- that's what's winning games.
Q. As a team, the 16 steals you guys had but also turning them over for nearly 30 points in the ballgame, how much does the activity you all had, not just yourself defensively but as well the way that guys on the perimeter can defend and create deflections, disruptions, what does that do to fuel you guys offensively?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, it's a big part of what we do. I would say when we get a steal and we start to break, always like ends in something good for us I feel like, like a corner three or a wide-open layup.
That's our best offense I think.
Q. Do you guys also feel at least when you're physically on the floor and you get those opportunities to move in transition but then you get into that half court and then the ball starts moving, does it feel as fluid and flowing as it seems to appear to us watching it on the floor?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, it definitely does. Whenever we have like a lot of like passing possessions, yeah, it definitely feels like we're sharing the ball.
Yeah, definitely feels that way.
Q. Tre got here, he mentioned the ball had energy. So it's one thing for him to score, but he also wants to get you all involved. Do you feel even without him on the floor that he's kind of adding to that conversation of making sure that ball doesn't stick offensively to give it energy, knowing that if you make that extra pass eventually that ball will come back to you, this possession or the next possession, but you guys are not being unselfish?
ALEX SARR: Yeah, I think it definitely does. Like I feel like that just goes in playing the right way. When you play the right way there is a lot of passes before the shot. I feel like it's a higher percentage just that's the way basketball is.
Definitely I feel like the ball finds energy, and you sharing the ball, playing with energy, and making the right play, I feel like that makes a better basketball player.
Q. ...career high shot attempts tonight. Wondering was there something about the way they were defending you that made you a little bit more...
ALEX SARR: I get the lead on my pops, so I had a lot of open looks. I would have loved to knock down a few more, but yeah, that is a lot of shots.
I think I would've loved to be more efficient tonight but it is what it is. You can't be efficient every night. Just working on it.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports