Coutesy of Jenni Carlson

Q: You experienced 41 games at The Peake during the regular season. Did Friday night feel any different?

A: That was amazing, man. They told me it was going to be crazy, but to actually experience it was crazy. There’s nothing like The Energy Arena, right?

When you can feel the crowd. Sometimes, you play the game, and sometimes, you don’t even know the crowd is there. But you can feel them. You can feel that they’re into it. You can tell that they’re into every play, every possession. It’s kind of surreal.

How much does that help in a tight game like Game 3?

I don’t know how much it really does affect the game, but it feels good when people are on your side.

First quarter Friday, you had a big dunk, then the rest of the quarter, no points but assists and rebounds. Were you focusing on those other areas?

Just making the right decisions, man. Playing off instincts. Just playing freely.

You made three of four shots in the second quarter. Good looks. No hesitation. Were they in the flow of the game, or were you looking for those spots?

Those are the same shots I was shooting in Game 1 and Game 2. I just made ‘em in Game 3. But now, those last three games really don’t matter. That’s the beauty of a seven-game series. We’ve got to look forward. I’ll do whatever it takes no matter what happens to help my team win.

On a personal note, what’s it like to see Jerami Grant, a longtime friend, go from being in Philly to being a Swiss army knife for this team?

Swiss army knife. That’s tight. Me and Jerami grew up together. I used to be over at his house all the time in high school. We knew each other before we even knew how good we could be. It’s just a blessing to be able to play with your brother. Literally. We used to talk about playing in the NBA; now, we’re on the same team. It’s kind of surreal, man. I’m definitely blessed in a lot of ways, and I’m just glad and fortunate to share it with my brother.

Is it crazy that you, Jerami and Jerian (Grant, Bulls guard and Jerami’s brother) are all in your first playoffs at the same time?

Yeah, it’s kind of wild. It’s just a blessing, all of us coming basically from the same household and the same team and being all in the NBA. It’s just all God’s doing. We’re not going to take it for granted. We’re going to make the most of it.