You know, it was a tough game, but just talk about Ben's performance.

I mean, he was extremely aggressive.

A career high 42 points.

Yeah, 42 12 and nine, you know.

And you know, Chief, honestly, you had to be, uh, you know, I didn't know.

We're gonna get to 42 points out of him, but he did everything he guarded.

Um, you know, did a good job.

Um, play with pace.

Way anticipated once, Joelle, scratch that.

The lineup we put on the floor, we're trying to create a lineup where go bare with guard, then that happened.

Um, you know, the key for us was getting stops and getting into bed and getting up the floor.

Uh, we just felt there's no way anybody was gonna stay with them.

Especially the center S O.

I thought been handled that very well.

Um, you know, Tobias was phenomenal as well, you know.

Look at those two guys.

Man on, then.

You know the unsung heroes.

Dwight, I had a very long, tough day today.

Had a death in the family.

Didn't come to shoot around, uh, didn't even show up to the arena till 5 36 o'clock, I assumed he wasn't playing.

It's funny.

I told him he didn't have to play and he said, Coach, I just want to get on the floor.

It's better than just sitting around the room and I thought he was phenomenal then was one rebound shy of a 40 point triple double.

How impressed were you with the way that he played tonight?

A man from the from the start of the game?

He was just on a mission out there, and, uh, you just saw another element of his game.

I think even being up to five and being a roller and how fast he was going to the basket and that opened up before for everybody, pretty much out there.

Tonight's but his pace and his ability having a Gobert on him, a center and getting a lot of screens.

But then they also be aggressive Offensively.

Uh, it was pretty amazing, obviously would have been better than to get a win, and you don't have a 40 point triple double, but we just have to save that for another e.

Think Well, there two more here, Tim and then Paul.

Tim, Go ahead.

So by his kind of along those lines.

What was it about Ben today that caused him to be so aggressive?

And obviously you talked about the space he had playing center going up against Gobert.

But I don't know if he's ever been that aggressive in a game before.

Is that a circumstance of Joel being out?

Is it the way he was playing?

Is it something else like, what do you think caused him to be ableto come out in really make that kind of an impact right away?

I think it was just a combination of, of all those things, Um, and Ben's the guy he pretty much evaluates the game from, as he's playing, you could see in the beginning the game.

He knew that he could get by those guys with his speed, and we just started finding some different ways.

Toe, get him of all.

But you saw it was a game where he was also like, actually kind of him working on some things and I was getting in the post and using his body down there verse guys that are in his biggest and shooting over himself.

Uh, it was just evolution off his game continuing toe come together game after game.

But, uh, he also just had that mind that he wanted to do whatever he could to help us win tonight.

That was more than anything.

Thank you.

Hey, Ben.

No, You were looking for a different outcome tonight, but you had an absolute career performance.

Really, really strong.

How did it feel to to get in a rhythm that way?

Oh, felt good that, you know, I was ever Thio dominant like that offensively, Uh, defensively.

I did.

Okay.

Didn't do great, but yeah, we want to get this went bad, but you get a what can you take from a performance like this and and apply to the rest of the season for yourself?

Um, you gotta keep foot down.

Keep pushing forward offensively from may, uh, stay dominant.

You know, I know what I'm capable of.

Uh, and that defensively, we gotta bring it every night, no matter who's you know who's playing on the floor.

Uh, if somebody's out or not, you know, we gotta step up.

Thanks.

Not next up in mountains then.

Do you think you've ever been that aggressive in a game in the N b a offensively before.

Um, I mean, if you put it that way, probably not e mean e.

I understand the question, but, you know, it's nice, but I feel like I'm dominant.

But it may not look like a 40 point game.

I might have a triple double.

You might win by 20 wherever the case is or might be on defense.

Um, offensively.

Yeah, I definitely had Thio pick up the Sex special.

Joe's out, So yes, I mean, obviously, I kind of asked a leading question, but I was more curious.

I know what Joe out.

That's obviously probably part of your thinking, but you from the very beginning of game came out with an aggression you rarely play with.

I was curious.

Is that because Joel was out?

Was that some other reason?

And when you talk about carrying that forward, is there a way you can play that way when he's out there to kind of balance that a little bit?

E.

Just been working on that my mental a lot these past few weeks, Uh, so I think my mind set's not easy to do that.

Change where you play, uh, or you know certain things in the game.

You come down from certain people.

I know.

I feel like I'm figuring it out.

I'll see.

My score has been a lot higher in the last 56 games.

Um, so long as I keep doing that and stay locked in and keep working my mental, Uh, nothing is scary.

Thank you.

It's gotta know.

11.

Next.

Hey, Ben, you talk to us a lot about how you're not really a player with the position.

How did you like the situation tonight where you're being guarded by opposing big men and you sort of get to show off all of your versatility?

Yeah.

I love I love what I saw.

Bruce Garden s o E.

I love being able to go with somebody like that.

Um, you know, um, yeah, I felt like it was a little bit of disrespect for them on me, but it is what it is.

Next up, Rich Hoffman.

Hey, Ben, you mentioned you're scoring has been up over the past five games.

I know you guys went one and three on the road trip, but with the scoring outputs of the last three games, can you take that as a positive moving forward that take me scoring.

Maura's positive.

Yeah.

I mean, like, you guys did lose the games, but considering how you've played individually over the past three games Yeah, that's defense, that zone defense defensively, I think we just got better.

You got to communicate more.

We gotta plays a unit.

Stick to who we are.

You know, at times we show it.

We've shown it in the past three games, but we haven't stuck with, you know, the whole game, Uh, which which has hurt us.

Uh, but offensively, I don't think I think my offense is helping.

Um, it's just defense.

We got to get that right.

Two more.

Austin Krell.

Sean Barnard.

Austin, Go ahead first.

Hey, Ben, It kind of felt like tonight they were trying.

They were trying to funnel you toward Rudy Gobert.

And you know, you were getting to the rim and you weren't really, you know, shying away from contact.

And this season, particularly your free throw percentage is up tonight 12.

13 from the line.

Has anything kind of changed for you, mechanically or mentally at the free throw line?

I think it's all mentioned.

Uh, people don't realize your mental is a huge part of the game.

Uh, and for me, you know, I continue to work on that.

Oh, so, yeah, I'm just trying to get better and progress my game.

Uh, get to that next level.

Last one to shop.

Hey, Ben, when did you guys find out that Joel wasn't gonna go tonight?

And how did that change your guy's mindset?

Um, probably the game.

But, you know, it shouldn't There shouldn't be a factor.

And, you know, we should always have the same mentality coming to compete and win.

Uh, no matter.

Who's on the floor?

I'm proud of my guys.

Not everyone stepped up.

A lot of people going through stuff, but we know we put team first.

Guys came out and played hard.

Played aggressive offensively, defensive.

Stuck with it.

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