Alvin Gentry apologized for claiming the New Orleans Pelicans were out of playoff contention.

"Yeah, I was emotional. I would say that I shouldn't have said it. I'm not afraid to say that," Gentry said. "But at that time I was just so frustrated. That's why it's good that I wait a while to talk to [the media]. Sometimes, it doesn't subside enough that you still say emotional things.

"But it was a frustrating loss. The last two have been very frustrating. We've played good basketball after the All-Star break. You just want to try to continue to win and you hope you get a little momentum, because through all that's ever happened, there's still not enough separation that you're completely out of the playoff picture."

Craig Sager reported during Thursday's Pelicans-Spurs broadcast that Gentry apologized to general manager Dell Demps for the outburst.

The Pelicans are six games back of the eighth spot in the Western Conference.