Loving this win. Loving this team. Loving these quotes.
Denver — Official postgame quotes following the Jazz's 106-96 win against the Nuggets on Sunday.
Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin:
On: Paul Millsap and team win.
“He did a great job. He was dynamic and made great plays. He is a mismatch and he has improved every year. Our guys did a great job. They are getting used to each other. They are making the right passes. They did a good job executing our offense. WE are getting better and we still have room to grow. The guys are communicating with each other on both ends of the floor. We controlled the tempo of the game by executing our offense. We are a much better team now than we were the last game here. Gordon Hayward is a versatile guy and he did a great job on both ends of the floor. All of our guys did a great job containing their man.”
Jazz forward Paul Millsap:
On: If he wanted to take over the game.
“Somewhat. I think our defense did a great job in the fourth quarter keeping guys out of the paint and keeping Ty Lawson away from the basket. We contained Nene. On the defensive end is where we won it.”
On: Sending a message with this win.
“We know what we can do. We know our capabilities. We know where we’re headed and where we want to go. We’re just fighting to get there.”
On: Improvements in his game.
“I knew within time, once I got my legs under me I was going to try and take off. Guys find me, they are always looking for us down low. We have a great team.”
On: He or Al Jefferson taking over game.
“We’ve been doing that all year. Al brings a lot of attention. When guys go down to double him somebody is going to be open. It just so happened to be me tonight.”
Jazz Guard Raja Bell:
On: What was difference tonight than game last time against Nuggets.
“I think it’s a belief in what we are doing. Having had some experience and some success with it over the last few weeks, it’s been big for us and our confidence and our ability to stick with things. If we do that then it’s a win.”
On: Team adopting his attitude.
“We have a lot of guys that play like that. It’s one of the things I like to do. Earl [Watson] plays like that. We have a lot of guys that get out there and get after people. I think Ty [Corbin] and his staff understand that for us to be competitive we have to have some dog in us. We have to get after people and we have to make it a dirty game. Not dirty, but a dirty-work game and physical. Quite frankly, a lot of teams don’t like to play like that so if we can embrace that and do it at a high level then we can beat some people.”
Denver Nuggets Head Coach George Karl:
On: When the game got away from the Nuggets.
“I thought for the most part Utah played with the intensity that we played with against Miami in the first half. We didn’t show up with the intensity. They gained some confidence. We didn’t get a lot of confidence early in the game. We missed layups, we missed free throws, we didn’t convert easy opportunities like our offense normally does and then the beginning of the third quarter we came out flat with our defensive effort giving up 58 points in the second half. I thought we tried to compete defensively. They got some guys going. [Paul] Millsap had a 10 to 12 minute stretch where he was the best player on the court. I still think we gave up way too many baskets. I’m kind of fed up with teams coming in here and shooting 50 percent and scoring 100 points. I would probably blame it on our NBA cool. We thought we were cool after kicking Miami’s butt and we got embarrassed. The NBA game does that to you quite frequently. If you think you are better than you are, or cooler than you are, and you don’t think you have to put in the hard work to win games you get embarrassed and we got embarrassed tonight.”
Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington:
On: Hard to get in rhythm with speed of the game.
“Sometimes it’s hard to run but we are trying to push the pace. We had a couple of turnovers here and there but we couldn’t just buckle down and get stops when we needed them. Usually we can do that but tonight they were the better team.”
On: Millsap’s fourth quarter.
“He got it going and there was nothing I could do about it either. Usually I can cut guys water off but he is a good player and he had a great fourth quarter so I’ll take my hat off to him. Good job.”
On: Summarize the effort.
“We just didn’t have that energy. We are a better team no matter how you cut it up or say but we just didn’t match their intensity. Obviously they don’t run like we do. They are very methodical, they run their plays through all five options and it kind of threw us off from our running game. Like I said before when we played New Orleans it was kind of the same thing. We have to find other ways to execute when we can’t run as much as we want to.”
Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo:
On: Lack of fast break in second half.
“We weren’t getting stops so when you don’t get stops you can’t run. The chances that we did get we didn’t capitalize on. I know I had one offensive turnover and we had some missed layup opportunities. When they fouled us and put us on the line some of the other guys including myself missed some free throws. Just some mental errors tonight.”
On: Post Miami focus.
“As players I don’t think any of us were even thinking about the Miami game. Every game is different. I think the atmosphere of last game in itself allows you to come in at a different level. I don’t think tonight’s game had so much to do with [Friday’s] game but we have to have our participation and our mental approach to the game at a high level regardless of the stage.”
Denver — Official postgame quotes following the Jazz's 106-96 win against the Nuggets on Sunday.
Jazz head coach Tyrone Corbin:
On: Paul Millsap and team win.
“He did a great job. He was dynamic and made great plays. He is a mismatch and he has improved every year. Our guys did a great job. They are getting used to each other. They are making the right passes. They did a good job executing our offense. WE are getting better and we still have room to grow. The guys are communicating with each other on both ends of the floor. We controlled the tempo of the game by executing our offense. We are a much better team now than we were the last game here. Gordon Hayward is a versatile guy and he did a great job on both ends of the floor. All of our guys did a great job containing their man.”
Jazz forward Paul Millsap:
On: If he wanted to take over the game.
“Somewhat. I think our defense did a great job in the fourth quarter keeping guys out of the paint and keeping Ty Lawson away from the basket. We contained Nene. On the defensive end is where we won it.”
On: Sending a message with this win.
“We know what we can do. We know our capabilities. We know where we’re headed and where we want to go. We’re just fighting to get there.”
On: Improvements in his game.
“I knew within time, once I got my legs under me I was going to try and take off. Guys find me, they are always looking for us down low. We have a great team.”
On: He or Al Jefferson taking over game.
“We’ve been doing that all year. Al brings a lot of attention. When guys go down to double him somebody is going to be open. It just so happened to be me tonight.”
Jazz Guard Raja Bell:
On: What was difference tonight than game last time against Nuggets.
“I think it’s a belief in what we are doing. Having had some experience and some success with it over the last few weeks, it’s been big for us and our confidence and our ability to stick with things. If we do that then it’s a win.”
On: Team adopting his attitude.
“We have a lot of guys that play like that. It’s one of the things I like to do. Earl [Watson] plays like that. We have a lot of guys that get out there and get after people. I think Ty [Corbin] and his staff understand that for us to be competitive we have to have some dog in us. We have to get after people and we have to make it a dirty game. Not dirty, but a dirty-work game and physical. Quite frankly, a lot of teams don’t like to play like that so if we can embrace that and do it at a high level then we can beat some people.”
Denver Nuggets Head Coach George Karl:
On: When the game got away from the Nuggets.
“I thought for the most part Utah played with the intensity that we played with against Miami in the first half. We didn’t show up with the intensity. They gained some confidence. We didn’t get a lot of confidence early in the game. We missed layups, we missed free throws, we didn’t convert easy opportunities like our offense normally does and then the beginning of the third quarter we came out flat with our defensive effort giving up 58 points in the second half. I thought we tried to compete defensively. They got some guys going. [Paul] Millsap had a 10 to 12 minute stretch where he was the best player on the court. I still think we gave up way too many baskets. I’m kind of fed up with teams coming in here and shooting 50 percent and scoring 100 points. I would probably blame it on our NBA cool. We thought we were cool after kicking Miami’s butt and we got embarrassed. The NBA game does that to you quite frequently. If you think you are better than you are, or cooler than you are, and you don’t think you have to put in the hard work to win games you get embarrassed and we got embarrassed tonight.”
Denver Nuggets forward Al Harrington:
On: Hard to get in rhythm with speed of the game.
“Sometimes it’s hard to run but we are trying to push the pace. We had a couple of turnovers here and there but we couldn’t just buckle down and get stops when we needed them. Usually we can do that but tonight they were the better team.”
On: Millsap’s fourth quarter.
“He got it going and there was nothing I could do about it either. Usually I can cut guys water off but he is a good player and he had a great fourth quarter so I’ll take my hat off to him. Good job.”
On: Summarize the effort.
“We just didn’t have that energy. We are a better team no matter how you cut it up or say but we just didn’t match their intensity. Obviously they don’t run like we do. They are very methodical, they run their plays through all five options and it kind of threw us off from our running game. Like I said before when we played New Orleans it was kind of the same thing. We have to find other ways to execute when we can’t run as much as we want to.”
Denver Nuggets guard Arron Afflalo:
On: Lack of fast break in second half.
“We weren’t getting stops so when you don’t get stops you can’t run. The chances that we did get we didn’t capitalize on. I know I had one offensive turnover and we had some missed layup opportunities. When they fouled us and put us on the line some of the other guys including myself missed some free throws. Just some mental errors tonight.”
On: Post Miami focus.
“As players I don’t think any of us were even thinking about the Miami game. Every game is different. I think the atmosphere of last game in itself allows you to come in at a different level. I don’t think tonight’s game had so much to do with [Friday’s] game but we have to have our participation and our mental approach to the game at a high level regardless of the stage.”
