It has not been an easy stretch of basketball for the LA Clippers as of late. Headed into Wednesday night's matchup with the Detroit Pistons, the Clippers had lost six of their previous seven games, as they continued to slip in the Western Conference standings. Things are only getting more challenging down the stretch of the regular season, and the battle for a playoff spot is intensifying.
That makes performances like Kris Dunn's from Wednesday all the more energizing. The defensive stalwart put on a masterful outing against the Pistons, and reminded everyone of his incredible value to this team as a point-of-attack defender and defensive playmaker.
Dunn was making life extremely difficult for Detroit all night long. Using his quick instincts and phenomenal defensive IQ, Kris picked up three steals and finished the contest with a +17 point differential - the second highest of any player that suited up.
— abdi 🇨🇦 (@abditrm) March 6, 2025
Dunn's masterful defensive talent was on display
When you watch the tape, you see his impact right away. In the first quarter, Dunn easily picked off a Cade Cunningham pass to Jalen Duren and took off the other way down the floor. Later, in the fourth quarter, his on-ball defense forced another Pistons turnover. And in the final 90 seconds of action, he thwarted a Detroit transition opportunity when they would have had a chance to cut the Clippers' lead to two possessions.
It was clear that Dunn's contributions were a big reason why LA came away with the win - and one that they desperately needed as they fight for position in the standings. The Clippers now sit at eighth in the West, one game back of the seventh-place Minnesota Timberwolves and a game and a half behind the six seed - currently occupied by the Golden State Warriors.
The Clippers have just one combined game left on their schedule against these two teams directly ahead of them in the standings. As they fight tooth and nail for a postseason berth, the play of Kris Dunn will continue to be a game-changer on the defensive side of things. Once LA gets to the playoffs, we all know how much defense matters in April, May and June.