On what happened in the second quarter that allowed Atlanta to pull away:

"They scored 47 points. I don't think we were moving the ball really well. More stagnant possessions, a couple turnovers. The Hawks, since the All-Star break, they're probably the best team in the league and they do it on both sides. They play really fast, even after makes, and we didn't find a way to stop that."

On how he felt after the game and his performance in his first game back since February:

"I feel all right. It's definitely an adjustment and it's going to be part of the process, but it felt good to be out there. Obviously there's going to be some rust. I tried to play really hard, focus on my assignment, stuff like that. Obviously some shots didn't fall, but at the end of the day we played terrible as a team. So in the 20 minutes I was out there, I wish I could have done a better job."

On what needs to change when a team like Atlanta puts a big run on them:

"Part of it is strategy and X's and O's, and then the other part is just mentality, just having pride out there. Remembering that it's a blessing to be out there on the court. To be honest, I don't think we've been doing that consistently and tonight was another night like that."

On the issue with the team's mentality, effort, and focus with six games left:

"I don't think it's bad all game, but there are just stretches that are inexcusable honestly at this level. It's hard to put a finger on it. I think it comes on runs and we do a bad job of staying levelheaded in those runs. Teams see that and feel that and take advantage."

On the mental challenge of missing nearly four months with the ankle injury and leaning on his brother Moritz:

"Very tough. Being hurt sucks honestly. It's very frustrating obviously not being able to do what you love and rehab can be pretty tough and boring at the same time. So it can be taxing on the mind and at the same time you don't get the chance to prove yourself out there. In a competitive environment that can add stress. It's important to have people to talk to and obviously Mo was a big resource for me. Just focusing on the day-to-day and letting the healing process do its thing. You can't force some of these things and can't control everything in the rehab process."

On what needs to change after sticking to the process hasn't delivered the desired results:

"We need to build an identity as a team. It sucks to say at this point in the season, but I think it's fair to say that we want to hang our hat on the defensive side of the ball. Past years have given a lot of teams a lot of trouble playing a super physical brand of basketball and we haven't found a way to do that consistently. I believe that starts on both sides of the floor. It's hard sometimes to play super physical if they're always running at you and always have an advantage right away because you had a bad offensive possession. So we got to get better at both sides."

On what regaining that identity looks like in the final games:

"Obviously as a group together with the staff, we got to pinpoint what the problems are strategy-wise and then, like I said, the other piece is mentality, a sense of pride that should be expected honestly at this level. You just got to bring that to work every day."

On the frustration from the crowd and inside the locker room:

"Obviously we feel the frustration from the outside. Trust me when I say that we're probably more frustrated in the locker room and trying to figure this thing out. This is the NBA. Judgment and frustrations from the fans are a part of it when some of the things we talked about aren't there. We get paid way too much money to play this game. So it's on us to figure it out."

On whether there is a lack of motivation among the teammates:

"That's what I was alluding to with a sense of pride. That can be expected when you step on the court and should always be there. You can't just isolate things. It's not a video game out there. All these things come together and we're all human beings. One thing can frustrate a human being and can lead into another mistake and that's on all of us. That's why we're here and get paid to do this. So it's our job to figure it out."

On whether the team still believes:

"We believe. We believe, but we got to look ourselves in the mirror because some of those possessions out there are inexcusable. At the same time though, when you look at the standings, we're still in a spot where we can get into the postseason and from there it's basketball and you got to win four games. We got to use these next 10 days or so to find that identity and find that sense of belief and then be ready to roll."

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