Coach Malone After The Win In Brooklyn 🎙 | 12/22/23 Post Game Press Conference

Coach Malone After The Win In Brooklyn 🎙 | 12/22/23 Post Game Press Conference

Yeah this is uh you know it wasn’t um know we got up to such a great start tonight and then like the bottom fell out for a while and I didn’t recognize the team on the floor and um I thought Jamal Murray was great you know I think he kind of helped

Will this team to a win tonight um so we’ve won three in a row three in a row on the road uh nine and eight now on the road and uh we have to finish it up in Charlotte tomorrow night um but very proud of our group you know things

Weren’t going our way um um you thought you had the game won that certain play would happen you know and that’s why you got to play All 48 minutes but very proud of the group to find a way to win I think that’s the key about you know

Being a good team you have to be able to win a lot of different ways and I thought tonight we showed that even when we’re not at our best you know we have some pretty good players that can find a way to make big plays to get timely

Stops to make clutch free throws whatever it may be and to get the win as much as Jamal’s dealt with the injuries in the minutes restrictions and everything how nice is it to sort of just get a reminder at this point in the season of what he can do when he gets

Hot in the second half like that yeah I don’t need a reminder I mean I’ve been with Jamal for eight years now I I fully know what he’s capable of so I’m just really was so impressed with his game tonight I mean 32 points 26 in the

Second half as I mentioned nine assists only one turnover but you know he goes four six from the three-point line 11 of 19 from the field and I thought on both ends he was a defensive player of the game as well I I felt he was just

Leaving all of himself out there and uh you know that was that was great to see from him talked to Nicole out the game about the young guys on the bench and they’re growing I said what do you do in a night where they may struggle just a

Little bit do you you get on them do you motivate he goes no you just get some details in them and then let them learn how to play through it would you agree with that assessment yeah I mean that unit has been playing at such a high level and tonight wasn’t necessarily

Their night uh which is going to happen happen especially when you’re playing as many young players as we are but like that play late in the game you know I put Payton in and he winds up fing a jump shooter you know that’s he’s not

Trying to make a mistake but that what a valuable experience to learn from because that that is the um the biggest lesson that you can learn is being in game situations and failing and saying you know what I can put myself in that position next time so um and you you

It’s really important for me Scott the last thing I’d say with that is e easy thing to say well let’s go with Justin let’s go with this guy but I gotta even when they’re not playing well I got to find a way to stay with them give them

Another chance because that is me showing I have confidence in them I know what they’re capable of if every time things don’t go right and I yank them they not they’re not going to build any confidence and that’s the greatest gift I can give all those guys so yeah rough

Night for them but I know they’ll all be better tomorrow night when did Watson um earn that spot to be on the floor for defensive possession yeah he’s uh you know just his body of work this year you know with 30 games in now and um he’s been tasked

With the responsibility of guarding some of the opposing team’s best players and he’s done a hell of a job and um you know whether it’s Kevin Durant one night it’s dearon Fox it’s Demar D rozan um you know he’s a guy that we have complete confidence in and uh you know

The offense were getting from him the three-point shooting that’s all gravy but Payton is a guy that can be a disruptive versatile Defender and um putting him out there with his length and uh you know he’s he’s going to get better and better the more comfortable he gets those situations have you done

Anything different with the free throw shooting has Ryan changed anything with the free throw shooting and that was a good night for you yeah and it’s been it’s it’s been really good you know and there’s two things with that K not just the percentage but the volume we’re

Getting there and if you’re getting to the fat line what does that equate to being aggressive being physical playing to the basket and and not settling um you know tonight we only took 26 threes which is not a great number in terms of volume but we made you know I think 11

Of those for 42% but we’re getting to the free throw line Aaron Gordon’s been tremendous in that regard and I think he has a lot to do with not only the attempts but also the efficiency there he’s stepping in taking his time and knocking them down at a high level but

Um I kill Ryan bone when we don’t make him so if you want to give Ryan bow and his flowers go ahead is it is it uh when the team starts the season as as low in percentage as they did can it be a bit

Of a confidence boost to have to go to the line late in games and and have to make those shots to to ice it away for Gordon for Jamal to for everyone to go to the line well I’d say when when you start the season off ranked 30th in free

Throw shooting there’s only one way to go you can’t get to 31st so um our group is and we talk about it it’s something that we say fellas we got to stop leaving all these points on the free throw line it’s going to come back and

Bite you and so to your point yeah when Aaron goes eight of nine and Jamal six of eight that was a huge offensive rebound off the Miss by the way you know now we go back he makes two now it’s a two possession game but um yeah I think

Our guys are getting a lot more confident and um the schedule’s been crazy I can’t say enough good things about our group in terms of handling this schedule it’s been a it’s very very demanding schedule I think more more demanding than most teams and our guys

Are 20 and 10 we’re finding a way to win consistently on the road now and um you know that that hopefully we can finish off this three- game trip with the win tomorrow night in Charlotte which will be a really tough game for us is going to more and more records obviously watch

To play every night tonight he passes a Hall of Famer and Danel for the most rebounds in the career that’s a Denver Nugget one by the way he was impressed in his nick name was the horse appreciated that but your thoughts on on him passing guys but seen so early in

His career that are just Legends yeah I mean and Dan Nell is a legend yeah I mean uh horse missile whatever you want to call him uh I saw Dan this summer and he is a was a hell of a player even better person you know so I have so much

Respect for who he is and for nicool to grab 6,631 rebounds and pass him you know we joke about it but it seems like every night there is some kind of note with Nicole yic passed this guy and when you’re in the same conversation as a Dan Isel you know you’re doing something

Right and um we all realize how fortunate and blessed we are to have Nia in Denver and uh he’s going to be a nugget for life and uh we’re all going to see him pass and break a lot more records

Hear what Coach Malone had to say after the game in Brooklyn. Full post game press conference.

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Coach Malone After The Win In Brooklyn 🎙 | 12/22/23 Post Game Press Conference