Coach Malone Post Game Press Conference vs. Hornets 🎙 | 12/23/23

Coach Malone Post Game Press Conference vs. Hornets 🎙 | 12/23/23

That third quarter coach what got into your team defensively to be able to hold Charlotte to just n points uh we we we we cared you know I mean I thought to start the game we weren’t here and uh it was amazing that we were down six at the

Half um you know with the start that we had and uh you know just just challenge your guys you know I mean to be present you know if we’re here do your job and do with the energ and do it with effort and uh I just told our guys how proud I

Was of them because they didn’t feel sorry for themselves they weren’t pissed that I you know challenged them they owned it and they went out there and we I think we got 17 straight stops 25 to0 run and they had nine points in the third quarter and they shot 9% from the

Field um so that that was my last message to our group is you know when we play at that level you know who can beat us you know I mean but why why does it have to take me challenge and and I know we’re tired I mean we’ve had a crazy

Schedule so I know guys are tired um but you know if you want greatness you know I mean and as readily available don’t settle for good you know and uh our guys responded man and I thought uh Jamal’s energy once again was great um you know you look at kcp battling through his

Stinger up there and and the defense that he played tonight um so really proud of us to finish up this road trip three games and um to get the response that we did Michael you you guys were down 14 in the paint at halftime and up

Winning the batt in the paint I think Charlotte had eight of their blocks in the first half they’re they’re not a team that blocks a ton of shots usually what were they doing in in the first half to disrupt you guys inside and and what sort of changed in the second half

For you yeah they had 38 in the paint in the first and I think only six in the paint in the second half uh and again that’s just part of the challenge owning it accepting it and embracing it and going out there and doing your job um

You to your point they were very active flying around blocking shots that team has lost six games in a row before tonight now seven so you know you’re getting a A desperate team on top of the fact that they’re playing the reigning chance so you’re going to get their best

And they jumped us I think it was very similar to the game here last year they jumped us and we found a way to come back and win the game um so we didn’t Panic we just started playing harder and uh the paint defense to your point that

Second half um cuz at the start of the game first 12 points 10 of those were layups and then two free throws that’s when I called my first time out and I said I’m not drawing up a play this is a who wants to play and you guys have a

Couple of minutes to show me you want to be here and um again we got the win Michael hter M the Charlotte Post I want to ask you about next Smith junr uh was taking a couple slots before you guys in the draft what did you see from him

Tonight yeah he played well you know shot the ball well got going a really quick Shifty guard um and made some big big shots to get them back in the game uh you know this is something that’s a trend that I don’t really like with that

Group is that we’ve had big leads and we allow the game to become very interesting and uh and obviously Nick Smith was a big part of that I think he was a five of seven from three 19 points Off the Bench so yeah you got to give

Him a lot of credit with his the confidence in which he played with it was impressive coach how did you feel how would you eval evaluate your bench’s play tonight I thought they were all right yeah I mean um you know sometimes you generate good looks that don’t go

Down you and so you just as long as you’re getting good looks but I thought our bench was uh was solid tonight you know and you know but for a long time you know that third quarter that group was playing so well you didn’t want to

Get any subs in but then you realize these guys are exhausted they’re playing so hard you got to get some of your guys in and uh so I thought they did did did a solid job but we’ll watch the film and we clean up anything that we can to uh

To help those guys out moving forward you talked a little bit about about it before the game started I think you’re seventh back to back 17 or 18 Road games whatever it is now and it is fatiguing this is a tiring part of the season is this character building for

This team as as as the season goes on you think maybe you can look back at this part of the Season you build a little bit of character during this time you hope so I mean uh to your point I mean I don’t think anyone’s had a hard

Schedule than us and uh you know that’s just not me making anything up that’s just black and white um and for us to to be where we are with all that and um it’s pretty incredible if if you can’t factor in Jamal’s Miss games through the injury you factor in the schedule you

Factor in the fact that we’re playing you know CB and Julian and pton and Zeke you know four young players in that second unit you know I really like where we’re at and uh if you can get through the stretch that we’ve gotten through to this point you know um you know that

Hopefully you can build some confidence um and build on that you know that that’s our hope as we move forward to Golden State on Christmas day just out of curiosity if you could craft the schedule however you wanted would would you with the shorter off season than

Everyone else would you prefer to sort of frontload it and get some of this stretch out of the way and not have to deal with as many back toback and real get in the season or would you prefer more balance um good question uh I have

To think about that one that’s a deep philosophical type question um I just don’t know like you feel like a pinball sometimes you’re home you’re gone you’re home you’re gone and um that’s why it would be nice I think we have somewhat of a home stand coming up but um yeah if

You can get through I think the key to your question is if you can get through that early to now where you have a favorable schedule maybe later that’d be ideal you know but not everybody gets through that and uh you know luckily we have a a team that’s won a championship

And uh has a lot of talent and character and uh camaraderie in that locker room so much this Championship Pride factor into winning some of these games that you might not win as you go along I I I would even just take the word Championship out Pride I mean like

Uh you know we won a championship last year this is a new season and I felt we had some guys that thought we could just show up tonight you know no ball no Ro year no Mark Williams they got a lot of guys out they’ve lost six games in a row

We’re the Denver Nuggets maybe we can just show up and win and I think another reminder that we can’t do that every team in this league has Pride they have talent and uh if if you think you can just show up you’re going to find yourself in a world of trouble and we

Got out of it tonight but our approach has to be a little bit better in terms of I know it’s was a third game in four nights I know the second L of a back to back but um we just have to bring it each and every night to the best of our

Ability go I ask about the third quarter starting on 25 251 R what did you feel like happen there there already asked me that no it was um that’s one of the more impressive runs that I can remember you know my nine years in Denver um you know

We chart we chart kills you know you get a kill if you get three stops in a row and you know to get 17 stops in a row is incredible their first point was off of a technical free throw um and that changed the game obviously we came out

As the aggressor we got stops we ran we converted and we took control of the game and uh you have to give our starting lineup a ton of credit for answering the challenge that was issued at halftime and going out there and doing it and uh I just hope that we

Don’t build such a deficit and have to rely on such a uh an outrageous quarter to get back in a game but tonight it worked to our benefit and we’re going to go home feeling pretty good about ourselves thank you co

Hear what Coach had to say after the win in Charlotte.

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Coach Malone Post Game Press Conference vs. Hornets 🎙 | 12/23/23