Tyrone Corbin – Head Coach (6-3 this season)
On the game
“It was a tough battle tonight. I thought we were good in spots but weren’t so good in some (other) spots. We got the win, and that’s the most important thing. We’re looking to get better (each night). We want our effort to be consistent every night we step on the floor. We’ve said it from the beginning (that) if we do that, with this group of guys, who knows what could happen. We’re getting the effort for the most part. We still need to get smarter in certain situations. We’re still working.”
On the play of Jefferson and Millsap
“We got the ball were we wanted it. Paul got some great looks, nine for 10 (shooting) and (Jefferson) was 13-17 from the field. Derrick (Favors) came in and did a good job of getting the shots close to the (hoop) before we settled for jumpshots.”
Al Jefferson – Center (30 points, 12 rebounds)
On the win
“It felt good man. I think we could have done a better job on the defensive end. We let them kind of go back and forth in the first half. But when it was our time to get some stops, we did.”
On being ready for the Lakers tomorrow night
“We’re a much better team than the first time we played against them. We’re still going to have our hands full but we’ve got our home crowd. We’ve just go to go out there and play like we’ve been playing the last five games.”
Paul Millsap – Forward (19 points, 3 rebounds)
On his hot shooting
“Guys found each other (for open looks). We set screens for each other. The ball was moving around and we didn’t hold it (too much). We just did a great job on the offensive end moving the ball.
On the play of the Jazz big men and the team’s chemistry
“We’ve had some good practice days and a lot of the shots we got were open shots. A lot of hard work and a good team effort (tonight), we’re coming together, everything we put into work is coming together. The chemistry is continuing to get better every game.”
Josh Howard – Forward (17 points, 4 rebounds)
On his progress since joining Utah
“It’s a work in progress and I’m going to keep (working) at it. This was one of my best games so far. I’ve been using my practice time and getting myself in the gym.”
On tomorrow’s game vs. the Lakers
“They are coming on the road whereas last time we played them (in Los Angeles). We’ve got to get ready, they beat us the first game for us (this) season. We’ve got to get ready for them.”
Byron Scott – Head Coach (4-5 this season)
On trying to stop the Jazz in the post
“Their post players are just too good. We just got to do a better job of understanding, we got to be a little bit more aggressive, be a little more physical. We can’t leave guys on an island. I thought we left Andy (Varejao) out there at times by himself. And when Al (Jefferson) has it going like that I don’t think there is anybody in this league that can stop him”
On how the Jazz defense affected the momentum of the game
“Well again they did a real good job of stepping in and taking charges. We have to be a little bit more under control when we are going to the basket and understand what they are trying to do. In the second half obviously we were much better at it, but they did kind of take us out of it. They did a good job of helping and causing those offensive fouls, and they did kind of slow the momentum down. I think they got Kyrie his third foul, Alonzo got his third foul, and Andy was pretty close. So they kind of messed up the momentum a
little bit.”
Kyrie Irving – Guard (20 Points, 5 Assists)
On offensive fouls affecting the team’s aggressiveness
“Honestly that didn’t stop our aggressiveness. Coach can live with offensive fouls as long as they are aggressive fouls. The refs made some good calls out there, they made some questionable ones, but it’s not a big deal. This loss tonight was about us. We kind of beat up ourselves tonight.”
On the key difference tonight
“They had a two headed monster tonight. They had Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. We tried to make the adjustments as much as possible. They were really effective. The guards and spacing they have makes their post game easier. Give credit to them, they did a great job executing in the post.“
Antawn Jamison – Forward (22 Points, 7 Rebounds)
On dealing with Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap:
“That is one thing. Its difficult to have one of those guys feeling it throughout the game, but to have both of those guys to start the game out the way they did, it really put pressure on our front court. Me and (Anderson Varejao) were in there talking about trying to find a way to make it difficult for those guys early. They made it tough. They had us in scrambling mode all night. They got into a rhythm at both ends. Jefferson was able to withstand it throughout the four quarters. It makes a difference. Then we have to send help as far as double-teaming and things of that nature. Definitely disappointed on how we handled
those matchups at the individual level.”
On the game
“It was a tough battle tonight. I thought we were good in spots but weren’t so good in some (other) spots. We got the win, and that’s the most important thing. We’re looking to get better (each night). We want our effort to be consistent every night we step on the floor. We’ve said it from the beginning (that) if we do that, with this group of guys, who knows what could happen. We’re getting the effort for the most part. We still need to get smarter in certain situations. We’re still working.”
On the play of Jefferson and Millsap
“We got the ball were we wanted it. Paul got some great looks, nine for 10 (shooting) and (Jefferson) was 13-17 from the field. Derrick (Favors) came in and did a good job of getting the shots close to the (hoop) before we settled for jumpshots.”
Al Jefferson – Center (30 points, 12 rebounds)
On the win
“It felt good man. I think we could have done a better job on the defensive end. We let them kind of go back and forth in the first half. But when it was our time to get some stops, we did.”
On being ready for the Lakers tomorrow night
“We’re a much better team than the first time we played against them. We’re still going to have our hands full but we’ve got our home crowd. We’ve just go to go out there and play like we’ve been playing the last five games.”
Paul Millsap – Forward (19 points, 3 rebounds)
On his hot shooting
“Guys found each other (for open looks). We set screens for each other. The ball was moving around and we didn’t hold it (too much). We just did a great job on the offensive end moving the ball.
On the play of the Jazz big men and the team’s chemistry
“We’ve had some good practice days and a lot of the shots we got were open shots. A lot of hard work and a good team effort (tonight), we’re coming together, everything we put into work is coming together. The chemistry is continuing to get better every game.”
Josh Howard – Forward (17 points, 4 rebounds)
On his progress since joining Utah
“It’s a work in progress and I’m going to keep (working) at it. This was one of my best games so far. I’ve been using my practice time and getting myself in the gym.”
On tomorrow’s game vs. the Lakers
“They are coming on the road whereas last time we played them (in Los Angeles). We’ve got to get ready, they beat us the first game for us (this) season. We’ve got to get ready for them.”
Byron Scott – Head Coach (4-5 this season)
On trying to stop the Jazz in the post
“Their post players are just too good. We just got to do a better job of understanding, we got to be a little bit more aggressive, be a little more physical. We can’t leave guys on an island. I thought we left Andy (Varejao) out there at times by himself. And when Al (Jefferson) has it going like that I don’t think there is anybody in this league that can stop him”
On how the Jazz defense affected the momentum of the game
“Well again they did a real good job of stepping in and taking charges. We have to be a little bit more under control when we are going to the basket and understand what they are trying to do. In the second half obviously we were much better at it, but they did kind of take us out of it. They did a good job of helping and causing those offensive fouls, and they did kind of slow the momentum down. I think they got Kyrie his third foul, Alonzo got his third foul, and Andy was pretty close. So they kind of messed up the momentum a
little bit.”
Kyrie Irving – Guard (20 Points, 5 Assists)
On offensive fouls affecting the team’s aggressiveness
“Honestly that didn’t stop our aggressiveness. Coach can live with offensive fouls as long as they are aggressive fouls. The refs made some good calls out there, they made some questionable ones, but it’s not a big deal. This loss tonight was about us. We kind of beat up ourselves tonight.”
On the key difference tonight
“They had a two headed monster tonight. They had Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap. We tried to make the adjustments as much as possible. They were really effective. The guards and spacing they have makes their post game easier. Give credit to them, they did a great job executing in the post.“
Antawn Jamison – Forward (22 Points, 7 Rebounds)
On dealing with Al Jefferson and Paul Milsap:
“That is one thing. Its difficult to have one of those guys feeling it throughout the game, but to have both of those guys to start the game out the way they did, it really put pressure on our front court. Me and (Anderson Varejao) were in there talking about trying to find a way to make it difficult for those guys early. They made it tough. They had us in scrambling mode all night. They got into a rhythm at both ends. Jefferson was able to withstand it throughout the four quarters. It makes a difference. Then we have to send help as far as double-teaming and things of that nature. Definitely disappointed on how we handled
those matchups at the individual level.”
