On the group's ability to stay poised and close out the game with a 14-2 run:

"Yeah, I thought it was great. This time of year, you got to win games. Like I said, I think everything down the stretch, everything throughout the game for the most part was pretty solid. It's just been something that we've had conversations about — just putting teams away, not giving them any life. This league is so talented. You give a team some feel-good and some swag going down to the end of the game and they're able to cut it to six or eight, you give them the chance to get one more stop and something crazy goes in, now you're talking about a one-possession game and you're in a clutch game which just didn't have to be.

So I think for us, taking the win for sure, taking that run at the end and a lot of stuff throughout the game — we did really good. It's an intentional effort to come down the stretch and go finish and put teams away. It shows a lot of maturity in your squad. For us, that's just what we have to continue to try and keep accomplishing. For the most part, everybody did solid. Our effort was there, our intention was there. It's just when you have the skill ready, you got to go put them away. We'll do that down the line."

On the direction of the group after winning three in a row with three games left:

"It's hard to think too much about anything else other than goimg to win the next game, to be honest. You start looking at others and counting on others to do such and such, you put yourself in a bad spot. For us, the main focus is just coming out and improving and then when we step on the court playing with that urgency — playing with the end-of-the-year urgency, knowing what's on the way and knowing what's in front of us that we have to go out and go get these games. It's a lot to ask from everybody. It's been a long year but it's what has to be done. That's the standard at this point.

Everybody's in the right mindset for it. We just have to come out and continue to be intentional, continue applying the things that we've been talking about and in the conversations we've been having. Once it gets down to it, man versus man, you got to win yours."

On the importance of the home crowd with only one regular-season home game remaining:

"It's definitely flown by for sure, not going to lie. The city of Orlando knows how I feel about them. Not only just from the fan perspective, but just from the human side of things. Everybody that I've got to meet there has been amazing. All I would ask is — I know it's been frustrating, I know it's been a tough year on all y'all — we truly need you guys down the stretch, honestly. We're promising we're working. None of us in here have given up or waved any white flag. But we really need the energy and the effort from y'all when we come in this building. And when we're about to re-enter this building in a postseason setting like you’re talking about.

They're always so important to our runs. When they're present with us, we ain't made it easy on them for sure. I just need y'all to stick with us, man. I promise we got y'all. I promise."

On the difference in mentality this year compared to the past two seasons when reaching the play-in, and whether there's added pressure to advance:

"Last year getting there is tough, missing that one. So I think I got that experience in a different sense. For me, I'm ready to step into my second time in the playoffs, still with a bitter taste in my mouth — not only from the first loss, but then from having to watch it without having any part in it. I don't think it's any pressure though in that sense. It's just the reality of the situation. None of us are satisfied with just getting here again. None of us are satisfied with the way that this year has gone. We want to continue to evolve and improve.

There's no pressure on it, but I think the sense of urgency is the more proper term to use when talking about that. Because it is time. If you go through it thinking you got tomorrow, it's going to be the last one. You're going to wake up in the offseason and that's all you can talk about is what ifs. While we have the opportunity to be in control of our destiny, I just think we got to grab on to it real tightly and give it our all down this stretch the last couple weeks."

On his individual growth as the lead playmaker and point guard (12 assists tonight):

"The assists come — it's such a fast game, man, and we got so much talent around. I said it from the beginning of the year — it's so ideal having guys who can go get it anywhere in transition, in half court, knock down shots and put it on the ground. For me, I just got to put them in positions to be successful. So that's where a lot of my mindset comes from.

But for me, it was less of the assists today. I'm always hunting that, but it was the turnovers that I was trying to pay attention to and really try to limit. I think that's been the only thing that's kind of been frustrating lately. Obviously shots will go in and they won't go in, but the turnovers really just come down to mindset and intentionally taking care of the ball. So I was more proud of that tonight. I had one, but if I can stay at that one-to-two range and anything under that, that's ideal. I know that helps our team out. So for me, just trying to play good basketball and continue to distribute."

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