Clippers head coach: We need to improve offensive firepower, so I let Batum start in the third quarter

In the first round of the playoffs, the Los Angeles Clippers, who played at home, defeated the Denver Nuggets 111-105 to tie up the total score of the series to 3-3. Next, both sides will enter the brutal tiebreak battle to decide a place to advance to the Western Conference semi-finals. After this game, Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue was interviewed by reporters, and he also talked about the team's changes in the second half of the game.

When talking about why forward veteran Nicolas Batum replaced Kris Dunn into the starting lineup in the second half, Director Lu said: I told the players after the game. At that time, Dunn and Ben Simmons were still celebrating the victory. We all have a unified view on this, which is related to team spirit. From our perspective, at this stage, we have to win the game at any cost, and they understand that, so I want to thank them. Speaking about why we chose to let Batum get into the starter, Coach Lu continued: When we play with that shooting lineup for five hours, we have to have a more stable output on the offensive end to help the team break the game deadlock. I think this arrangement will give James Harden and Kawhi Leonard more space, and they can also attack more.

In this game, Batum's performance was impressive. He played 34 minutes and 22 seconds in the whole game, made 2 of 5 shots, 2 of 5 shots from outside the three-point line, scored 6 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks, and had 3 fouls, with a plus-negative value of +11. In contrast, Dunn's performance was indeed a bit bleak. He played 10 minutes and 14 seconds in the game, made 1 of 4 shots, 0 of 3 from outside the three-point line, scored 2 points and 2 assists, and had 1 foul, with a plus-minus value of -5.

In this game, the Clippers' change of formation did indeed have a miraculous effect and laid the foundation for the team's victory. But from the long-term perspective, Batum's age is there, allowing him to play for more than 30 minutes in every game, which will actually affect his condition. On the other hand, Dunn's defensive ability is also worthy of recognition, and his personal defensive ability is considered a very outstanding level. However, Dunn's stability in outside shooting is indeed a serious lack, which directly affects his playing time and role on the court. When it comes to G7, the Clippers should actually give Dunn the chance to prove his strength. If Batum directly takes the start from the start, this may not be an ideal choice?