Porzingis and Doncic combined for 56 points to hold off the Timberwolves.
HEAD COACH RICK CARLISLE
(On tonight’s game…)
“I really liked the opening of the game, the ball movement, the defense — everything was very, very good. The second and third quarters were fine. We didn’t close either one of them great. And then in fourth, pretty simple: we’ve got to do a bette rjob closing out games. This is an experience we’re going to have to learn from. We had a similar thing happen in Atlanta a couple games ago. We’ve got Atlanta coming back in here on Wednesday. We’re a young team that has simply got to learn from these situations.”
(On Kristaps Porzingis’ first-quarter play and playing longer stretches in games…)
“Everything. He was great at it. He was making shots. He was also moving the ball beautifully and rolling and cutting beautifully, which opened up other guys. That’s a real positive thing. It’s clear that as each game goes on, everything is getting better and more the way he wants it and more the way we want it.”
(On the team’s defensive player of the game and the play of Josh Richardson…)
“[Kristaps] Porzingis was the defensive player of the game with six blocks. Richardson made a couple of big plays down the stretch; one was a rebound that led to I think a foul and then the jumper in the lane took it from a one to a two-possession game and then the free throws were big. Right now, we’ve got to do whatever we can to win games. They’re certainly not always going to be pretty, but it’s important to win them and learn and move on and get better.”
(On the COVID players finding rhythm and the team regaining form…)
“I do see that. I do see [Josh] Richardson, [Dwight] Powell, [Dorian] Finney-Smith and [Maxi] Kleber all getting better day-by-day, game-by-game. Kleber’s clock ran later than the other guys. He had a little bit of a longer bout, so It’s been a little more challenging. I wanted to keep his minutes moderate tonight, if possible. In other words, have him get a good run in a game but not run him up into the mid-30s or something like that. We were able to do that. We had other guys playing well, so that’s good. Each day we feel and hope that we’re another step closer to being back to the team that we want to be and healthy and sound and all those kinds of things.”
MAVERICKS FORWARD LUKA DONČIĆ
(On not playing as many minutes in the first quarter…)
“It’s just a different way to monitor my minutes. Maybe a little fresh, especially at the end of the game. So I think it’s good for me.”
(On closing games…)
“For us, it’s whatever we have to do to win. Obviously today they went on a run in the fourth quarter, but right now it doesn’t matter. We’ve got to win, I think that’s the point.”
(On the fans being in the arena…)
“It’s great. We’ve all been waiting for this. Hopefully we can have some more. It’s great stuff for us. They get us going, even if there is so little, but they get us going, they give us energy. We expect having more and more.”
MAVERICKS FORWARD KRISTAPS PORZINGIS
(On his rhythm and aggressiveness…)
“Much better, I’m just more calm when I know I’m not coming out early. And for me as a big, I just feel better when I’m playing longer stretches, because I don’t have the ball in my hands the whole time and I have to get in that rhythm and find my opportunities and find my situations. It’s definitely working better. Also I’m spending more time on the court, playing more games, playing more games with these guys, and all of that adding up. All of that it’s coming together and we’re playing better basketball.”
(On getting six blocks tonight…)
“Tonight was one of those nights I’m guarding a five. Although he can shoot and he can do multiple things, he was around the rim and I was able to protect the rim pretty well. Just one of those nights where it was in our game plan to make sure that the bigs were protecting the rim back and try to stay vertical, not foul and get those blocks.”
(On why he’s now able to play longer stretches…)
“Just to make sure I’m not playing tired, I’m fresh the whole time, that was the idea especially coming back from an injury. They (team medical staff) just wanted to make sure I’m fresh every time I’m on the court, that’s why I was playing shorter stretches. Now I’m playing multiple games and feeling better, I’m getting those longer stretches. It’s how we played in the Bubble, and in the Bubble that was the best basketball I’ve played here in Dallas. That’s how I feel the most comfortable.”
MAVERICKS GUARD TIM HARDAWAY JR.
(On how he felt having fans at the game…)
“It was amazing. The atmosphere was obviously better. You just hear crickets when there is nobody in there. It was great to have fans in the building and we were happy to put on a good performance for them.”
(On what it meant to the team to have Mark Cuban speak to the team before the game the other night…)
“It was big time. Everybody always says it is better hearing it from someone that is outside looking in. With Mark, he is very quiet and he is very observant so having him come in there and give us a speech before the game, it was great. Everybody needed to hear what he had to say and obviously it is getting the job done.”
(On how well Josh Richardson played…)
“He was great. You expect that from Josh all day, every day, every game. But it shouldn’t have gotten to that point. When you have a lead like that it is very important that you do a great job of sustaining it. You have to give Minnesota credit, they came in the fourth quarter, didn’t quit and kept competing on both ends of the floor. They got deflections, got steals, run out 3s and they made the game hard for us down the stretch, so give them credit.”
MAVERICKS FORWARD DWIGHT POWELL
(On if the key for them is bringing more energy as a team…)
“It is a weird year. We have a lot of things that we have to figure out and to find ways to be successful. Part of that, obviously, is bringing more energy and that is what we are trying to do now but we are in the process of trying to figure everything out.”
(On how he feels physically…)
“I am feeling good, I’m feeling good. I am just grateful that I am able to be here, I have my health and am able to be with my guys again and compete.”
(On what it meant to the team for Mark Cuban to speak them before the game the other night…)
“It means a lot. It instilled confidence in us, let us know that he believed in us, and let us know what it is all about, and that is winning. We definitely took that to heart and we spoke about it as a team. Hopefully, we can maintain this level of energy and focus and carry it on throughout the course of the year.”
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