we'll get started statement followed by question for players first only you know disappointing um middle quarters for us tonight against uh that giving up 56 points in those middle quarters really just put us on our heels it was a defensive night that um you know it's just really frustrating that they shot over 50% over 43% from The Arc um had their second highest point total of the year and uh just frustrating uh didn't execute very many things that we wanted to do defensively and really don't have a lot of answers why we couldn't get some of that done these two continue to play hard um tried to put us on their back offensively you know made 14 of our 29 foul uh field goals um they were both you know uh between the two of them 14 of 28 so we were efficient with these guys we just didn't have enough help and certainly it started at the defensive end questions for players only we'll start with Ran hey Ria um sticking back or with the defense um coach was just talking about I think on a posit positive the strides you've shown as a helps side Defender have been imminent these last few games or so what what what have you seen with does that come from watching film or is that more instinctual how have you sort of developed uh that way um I mean some of it is film some of it is Kurt saying on me about it um in a game I could be across the court and all I hear is flow flow flow so I so to make sure that I don't keep hearing that I just get there you said flow is what he says to you flow cleanse flow everything you can think of nice thank you infinity Hey DJ from infinity TV this question is for RIA tonight you had three blocks so can you talk a little bit about your defensive spark playing against the Chicago sky tonight um I don't think it's just against them I feel like every game um I try to make strides on the defensive end um I tried to cleanse to the ball more I know they got quick guard so I wanted to be in help for my teammates just in case they got blown by um this team their guards doesn't really give a lot of shot fakes so I just knew like once they pick the ball up I can kind of just time their blocks um and that just came from like watching films and things like that and um uh this a question for Ry as well like um can you give your thoughts on just players you know like when they see you and then they want to you know they just want to really compete you can tell they I'm not saying necessarily they taking it personal but you know you can tell they kind of want to go at you out of respect you know what are have is that something that you've been noticing these past uh really all season I mean the other game like coach KT was just like you earned this like you earned this attention on the offensive end so I mean it's cute I guess I mean I don't know like they take it personal I think I like it you know like I don't want no one to just take it easy on me you know challenge my defense a little bit um especially when they're going hard at me and I feel like I stayed in front of them like one onone I feel proud of myself so I me I mean it is what it is it's cute Jackie hey Jackie with Jackie Ray TV Derica this one is for you obviously when things get frustrating um as a leader on the team especially at halftime we see the con chemistry continue to grow between all of you but is there a a halftime speech that you give to try to make adjustments so these young players can go out there and and see the game in the floor a little differently um no [Laughter] gets on me about it he wants me to give halftime speeches um and that's just something I'm trying to find in my leadership because it's not instinctual for me you know I'm not I don't discipline my kids like that so I don't it's um it's a learning curve that I'm G to have to find in the offseason um to bring back to this team but just try to uh reemphasize the things we are doing well um and then I mean I'll talk about what we aren't doing well but uh I'm not really giving any speeches thank you ladies thank you guys the questions for Kur infity is DJ from infinity TV it seems like in the second half the team almost came out as a different team did you have a moment where you kind of pinpointed where you noticed that the tide changed in the game you know it's it was frustrating after 29 Point quarter in most of the halftime um talking about defense and um where we were having slippage and what our coverages were trying to be um that we didn't get a stop um you know for the first four or five minutes of that third quarter so that that 56 points in those middle quarters for them um you know probably Rivals the highest two consecutive quarters that they've had all year offensively so it's just really frustrating that um we we could not bear down and get stops tonight individually or as a team um you know again um you know we just will keep reminding them what we were trying to do and we weren't accomplishing it I don't know if it's a lack of focus they were tired um you know they let any offensive um stuff affect the way they play defense but we have to be better defensively than we were tonight um coach can you talk about just what did you see like you seem like the first half you know you guys were neck and neck you know and um can you elaborate on just what did you see the switch Yeah I just you know again um you know Carter's Dynamic and can playmake um but you know there's lots of attention to Ree and Cardoza and and you know try to give congestion and help in the paint around them and try to keep them off the glass but when you supplement you know Rachel going three for three from The Arc um you know we knew that they there is a coaching tendency a a uh ex and0 tendency of that team out of atos out of timeouts or out of U situations When Rachel gets in almost all the plays are run for her and they our players knew that and sure enough they ran a play where we had slippage and how we wanted to guard it and Rachel got a three it's those kind of things that happen within the game things that we were doing within the game that the average spectator won't know uh what we were trying to accomplish or what we had talked about and those things happening th those really affected us tonight um not only in the game but emotionally because they all knew when it was happening that we've talked about it and it was a key and was important for us and so when those things consistently happen tonight on things that we were looking for and anticipating and knowing that we're coming at us still hurt us tonight it's almost deflating emotionally um you know and so you know I I haven't felt like this in a long time with this group that they knew so much about what was going to happen and they and they just couldn't stop it uh you know was just a frustrating night for all of us Ran hey coach uh it's one thing to be facing a team that's dropped uh that's right in a losing streak but then also like there's a a heighten sense of urgency with them trying to hold on to a playoff spot as well what can be learned facing a team like that playing with that type of urgency for a young Squad like yours yeah I mean we we have honest talk you know we talk about it with this group about like how important game is for someone and you know what kind of emotion and and the energy that you're going to need to match or uh exceed especially on the road and you just got to keep talking about it until you know it's like you you don't want to be a staff that says you know I told you like we we told you he we you know like we talked about what Kennedy has all over social media and how important uh this stretch was and how important tonight was uh but you know they you know they have to feel it and live it and uh if they're not if they're not responding to just the talk about it they have to be able to respond after they feel it um and did you know was it a game that they want to Chicago's want to was higher than ours that's frustrating at this level I every game everybody should have great want to thanks coach save travels thank you hey coach kind of to piggyback on that we've seen we've talked about this um All Season where there's not they're not playing the full four quarters and sometimes it's emotional sometimes it's fatigue is that something that you can really coach them through given that this is a young team or is this something that they just have to go through and experience and get to the other side yeah they got to experience it and we got to coach them through it you know and there and there's different ways sometimes uh you're trying to drag it out of them and and and you're harder on that them and you're demanding and and there's that attack then there's the encouragement side then there's kind of things where you just you don't address every little thing um and you hope that the veterans are talking to each other like you mentioned someone mentioned in in halftime uh before the coaches even walk in there that there's there's some ownership in that locker room um again you know we just we've had a revolving door with with point guards you know we have Leia and ay not playing um now you know both Odyssey and Crystal have been with us and long enough and are on rest of season contracts but you know it's asking a lot of them that haven't been here very long um to really be the leaders we have some veterans in the post group we have some veterans that have been in really good locker rooms around this league that again we're asking them to take on a role um that's an enhanced uh role than maybe what they've been in the past years and really trying to help them you know with that leadership help them with that um voice that you know is so important because it just can't always be the coaches so um again I'm just tonight was frustrating you know like we've lost games and you know I I can find a lot of positives a lot of games but tonight um you know that 92 points in the defense of what we really were trying to accomplish is disappointing last question R hey coach Dre right from the sporing tribute um the Sparks have been eliminated from a playoff contention um is there going to be any changes going forward and also did you just say Odyssey on the rest of year contract I guess not right she's on the third day second or third seven she's on her third s-day Ray sorry I misspoke that way no problem um uh what were we saying uh changes you know again we're just going to keep exploring um obviously um you know giving you know giving people looks to give us the best chance to win but honestly it's you know um you know you got you got to play people that um continue to earn minutes thank you