HEAD COACH ALVIN GENTRY

On the Pelicans’ defensive performance in the second half of tonight’s game:
“We talked about the fact that we can’t exchange baskets. We have to be able to come up with stops if we’re going to get back in the game. I thought we did a good job of just being active with our hands. I thought we did a much better job of getting over screens. We’ve got to do a little bit better job of closing out the three-point shooters when they’re shooting the ball well.”

On Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s performance in the last two games:
“Well, I think for young players to get better, they have to play. It was good to be able to play him these minutes, and they were good minutes. They weren’t like trash minutes or anything, they were minutes that meant a lot. It’s good to see those guys get out and compete at that level. As I said, we’ve just got to continue to work in the summer individually on our game, and then we have to work collectively when we get back as a team.”

GUARD NICKEIL ALEXANDER-WALKER

On tonight’s game:
“Every day is an opportunity. Every day you get a chance to prove something. Tonight, I looked at it as an opportunity for me to develop as a rookie and transcend into next season, trying to bring positive energy into the offseason so that, for my game, I’m feeling confident. I know what to work on and the high points. You never know who’s watching. You don’t know what the future holds, so I think every day [and] every game is an important opportunity to show something.”

On the biggest takeaways from his rookie season:
“As a whole, from the city, I love it. I love New Orleans. I love the fans, I love the people. My teammates, I couldn’t ask for a better group. Everyone is supportive. I had vets that taught me things and introduced me to the NBA, so I think that’s huge. Coming in with a rookie class where it’s not just myself, but it’s Jaxson (Hayes), Zion (Williamson), and Nico (Melli) as well…them being like brothers to me when I needed it.”

CENTER JAXSON HAYES

On the biggest takeaways from his rookie season:
“The biggest takeaways were just all the little things I learned, like defensive stuff, picking up stuff from vets like D Fave (Derrick Favors), Jahlil (Okafor). Just learning new positions, how the game is played, just really getting a feel for the NBA’s flow of the game.”

On playing more consistent defense:
“We’ve just got to come out with the mindset at the beginning of the game to just get stops. A lot of that was partially me, just with (Nikola) Vucevic…he was going crazy. I needed to make him more uncomfortable. Just stuff like that; just the little things.