Despite playing for 'The Wall' in game six, the LA Clippers overcame the formidable challenge of forcing a game seven with the leadership and production of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard.
The fans have been adamant and certain that these two are unstoppable on the playoff stage when they are simultaneously aggressive. They knew that if Harden went for a bucket and Leonard followed with his signature moves, there was no way the Nuggets would finish LA in six games.
However, if head coach Tyronn Lue had not pulled Kris Dunn early and left him on the bench, the Nuggets would have left Intuit Dome with a series win. In fact, he started the game, but out of halftime, Lue started Nicolas Batum in his place.
Moreover, Dunn is usually a great defender, but his size makes him inferior when a bigger guy switches on to him. David Adelman and his staff evidently discovered this when watching the film and ensured Nikola Jokic and Aaron Gordon would go right at the defensive specialist in the paint.
Jokic and Gordon were successful in the post, and Lue adjusted by calling up Batum and Derrick Jones Jr. for big-time minutes against the Nuggets’ stars in game six, with elimination calling their hotline.
Kris Dunn playing 10 minutes in a win-or-go-home game six saved the LA Clippers’ season
As previously seen in the series, Kris Dunn can be a liability. In most cases, this critique centers around his offense, as his shot is almost always hit or miss. The veteran guard struggles heavily with consistently hitting the most wide-open attempts most guards dream of receiving.
Conversely, in game six, Dunn’s defense was an issue. He was doing well perimeter-wise, but his lack of size forced Tyronn Lue to utilize Nicolas Batum much more.
Furthermore, Dunn played a grand total of 10 minutes and recorded a +/- of -5 with two points and two assists, shooting 1-4 from the field and 0-3 from beyond the arc.
Lue shuffled the remaining minutes between Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum, but the majority went to the French Knight. He took over for Dunn and ended with six points, six assists, five rebounds, two steals, and three blocks, with the second-highest +/- on the team of +11.
These 34 minutes from Batum have eclipsed Dunn's outings over the Denver Nuggets, making Lue’s game-seven rotations relatively obvious.