On winning the paint and controlling the area around the basket (Paolo Banchero):

"Yeah, I think it's just any game you look at, usually a team that dominates in the paint wins the game. Definitely just putting an emphasis on that every night. Knew coming in here didn't want to give them a lot of easy looks and thought we did a good job of just making it hard on them and making them work for their baskets."

On his career-high rebounding this season (15 rebounds tonight) and the change in mentality attacking the glass:

"Yeah, just having a mentality of attacking the glass. After my first few years in the league, I thought rebounding was something I could really improve on. That's something that I think I can just continue to improve on and just being aggressive down there, attacking the ball, trying to finish out possessions, and also trying to get some extra possessions on offense as well. Somewhere I think I can keep improving on."

On the main things done defensively to make it hard for Minnesota to get quality looks:

"I think just respecting and getting out to some of their role guys. DiVincenzo, McDaniels, and Naz Reid, not letting them get open looks. Trying not to let them get going. Anthony Edwards is going to get going. He averages 30 a night. But just not trying to let some of those other guys get in rhythm."

On setting the tone with aggressive downhill play from himself and Desmond Bane:

"Yeah, I just think it's great for the team when we're being aggressive downhill, making plays, whether it's scoring, passing, getting fouled. I think that's a huge plus when we're playing that way. Dez has had a few games like that this year, not hitting any threes and still ends up with 30, so that just speaks to the scorer that he is."

On building momentum from the big win on Thursday and the decisive victory against a top Western Conference team on the road:

"Yeah, just one game at a time. Can't get too high, can't get too low. Still a lot of games left, a lot of basketball to be played. Tonight was a huge win. But yeah, you can't get too excited. We got to be ready to go tomorrow against Milwaukee."

On Desmond Bane's value as a veteran leader who's been in big games and playoff situations:

"Yeah. He's just super valuable. His experience, his ability to help close games out with his offense and him being able to get to his spots in the third and fourth quarter. He was operating pick and roll, getting us great looks and helped us keep that lead. He's been that all year. Gotta give him credit for coming into a new situation and having to adjust and deal with some new things, but he's just been himself and been the player that everybody knows him to be. A lot of credit to him."

On reading the game with Desmond Bane and playing off each other when the three isn't falling:

"Yeah, just always communicating in huddles and on the court what we're seeing, how they're guarding us. I think with Dez, they were trying to run him off the three-point line and force him into the paint. But as you saw, he's very comfortable operating in there. He still had some good looks that didn't drop, but it didn't affect his aggressiveness at all. He had it going inside the arc tonight. That just speaks to the scorer that he is and just how talented he is."

On Jayson Tatum's return from Achilles injury and what it means as a friend and fellow Duke player:

"Oh, it was great to see him out there. I just gotta give him a lot of credit. I think his mindset from the start from when the injury first happened, I saw him in the summer and you could tell that he was going to try to get back sooner than everybody thought. I didn't know it would be this season, but you could tell he was already kind of working even soon after the injury. It was great to see him out there and he's an inspiration to everybody. Just for him to do the whole recovery in front of the whole world and come out last night and have a great game coming off that injury is not easy. Can only imagine what he's had to deal with mentally and all that, but happy for him, man. Look forward to getting out there against him. I think we played Boston one more time and could see him in the playoffs. Happy for him for sure."

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