Near the end of the second frame, LA Clippers’ defensive specialist, Kris Dunn, appeared to have hurt his ankle to the point where he could not walk correctly. He still managed to grab a rebound, but at the next available opportunity, Tyronn Lue pulled him in order for trainers to evaluate him in the locker room.
Though Dunn did not play another second for the rest of the night, Lue mentioned postgame, after the Clippers had defeated the Brooklyn Nets by 37 points, that the veteran guard was available and was purposefully kept on the sidelines.
Tyronn Lue said that Kris Dunn could have played after halftime but Clippers kept him out. Minor ankle injury.
— Law Murray 🐐 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 26, 2026
Dunn has played in every game for Clippers this season.
Not only were the Clippers capable of winning without him, as they went into halftime up 31, but guards Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller made up for his missed presence on both ends of the court.
Thus, Lue wisely did not take the risk of Dunn further injuring his ankle. If he was checked into a game that was essentially a blowout all night and re-aggravated the same injury, the coaching staff would have been blamed for not playing it safe with a backcourt rotation that is already without Chris Paul and Bradley Beal.
The Clippers cannot afford to lose Kris Dunn to an injury
While he only played 13 minutes last night, it still counts as a game played, which adds to Kris Dunn’s total of 45. He has played in every game this season, a team-high, and that streak will continue against his former squad on Tuesday versus the Utah Jazz, considering Tyronn Lue mentioned his ankle injury was minor.
Furthermore, the Clippers need Dunn. Has he regressed in a few ways and progressed in several others from last season? Yes, he is certainly a different player, yet the former top-five pick is having a career year.
In 45 games, including 39 starts, Dunn has averaged 7.8 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.5 steals, shooting 48.5% from the floor and 37.2% from beyond the arc.
His impact is not hidden, and because he leads the Clippers in deflections and is in the league’s top five in terms of count, teams know why the initial task must be to locate Dunn on defense.
This exemplifies positive defensive playmaking all around, and also, Dunn is one of the last healthy, seasoned guards in LA’s rotation. Hence, Lue has him starting on most occasions.
That said, Lue knew the game with the Brooklyn Nets was a decided contest, and did not allow any unnecessary trauma to disrupt the winning vibes with Dunn going down. It was a great call, and something to definitely take note of.