Richardson admits defensive sloppiness despite offensive success. He emphasizes growing confidence and the vital need to lock in defensively for upcoming games.
On the team's offensive execution down the stretch:
"Just sharing the ball down the stretch. I mean, you see AB, you see Desmond, you see Paulo, Wendell, they all made big plays down the stretch. Even Tristan with that big time three. So, I think just sharing the ball and just playing as a unit is kind of what won us the game at the end."
On emotions during a high-scoring but defensively sloppy game:
"Offensively we were really well. We played really well tonight offensively. Everybody was sharing the ball, but defensively was pretty sloppy for us. That's not characteristic of how we play defense. So, I think that was kind of frustrating in a lot of the huddles just letting up easy buckets. But, I think we just got to look back on this one and just take what we can."
On the difference between Game 1 and Game 36 (now ~40 games into NBA career):
"I definitely think it's just confidence. Honestly, I just kind of feel my confidence growing from each game, just learning something new. I'm not going to lie, I'm exhausted. It feels like game 66 already, but just maintaining my body, making sure I'm staying as positive as I can, staying healthy."
On the importance of finding ways to win despite subpar defense:
"I think it's really important. And I mean, last time we played Indiana, we weren't as well offensively as we were, but defensively we were pretty good. So, we just got to find little things that can keep us in the game. And today was our offense and then just a couple stops here and there. But coming up for these next couple games, we really got to lock in defensively."
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