The KDunn question remains. He’s slowing down the Clipper starts on offense, but he plays a big role in making it difficult for the opponent to get a strong start at the same time. He has been making a good share of his corner 3s, and he’s more solid and decisive on his drives and hitting his 2-foot floater or getting layups. His rebounding has been more noticeable too. He seems to complement Norm pretty well, making teams put a lot of energy into stopping Norm, not to mention the others. We won’t get a good read on his primary utility until the Clips are facing a top-level guard scorer, i.e. Steph in the final game. There’s an argument to be made for Dunn as a starter against Steph, JMurray, Ja, Luka, SGA, and Ant, setting a tone and making those guys take their time getting into the flow of the game. So he’s getting reps now with the ball being funneled to him, and he’s been doing okay, not great.

It’s like the Clips know that they’re starting games in 2nd and 3rd gear, but they’re keeping the opponents downshifted too. It might not be a bad strategy, The offense tilts up midway or later through the first quarter and into the second, and right now it seems to be able to keep going and not look back. We’ll see where this goes, I guess.

I was thinking that Batum might have been rationed so that he could play more in the 2nd game, with Kawhi out. But maybe he got tweaked. He’s obviously a critical piece of the Clippers attack, could be the best 5th starter in the playoffs, if the Dunn strategy changes. The Clips have options galore. It was impressive how they were dominant and played well without Batum and Ben Simmons, and it was good to see Kobe Brown get a bunch of minutes. Eubanks’ effort and excellence was actually quite significant–that might have been the most important story of the game, and he might have earned a bigger role in the game tonight.

Standings watch was fascinating. DEN’s loss means they get to join in the fun now. MEM vs. DET is notable, and a big next step is to see how HOU and OKC play things out. Still one day and one game at a time, and the Clips need to keep their edge back on the court tonight.

I am encouraged by Norm Powell playing within the system and also making a conscious effort to make the high percentage pass to Zu off his drives. He has cut down on wasted possessions, though not completely. In the postseason you have to value every possession. James picked and chose his spots and always seems to hit that big bucket to take control or re-establish control of the game. I hope he stops attempting bounce passes in the painted area. It results in a turnover over 50% of the time by the eye test.

Bench played great. Bogdanovic has become a fan favorite and he put that game away with three big time 3PMs early. I did notice that Batum might have tweaked his right ankle or heel, and we absolutely need Batum so hope it’s not a thing.

Clips continue to have a Kris Dunn issue. The offense doesn’t seem to get on track until he’s subbed out. Today, despite the blowout, was no exception. +5 lead in his first stint. Lead balloons to +13 at the end of Q1 and up into the 20s when he’s off the floor. Lue is starting to recognize that his minutes might need to be limited in order to get the offense going. Dunn starting doesn’t have to be an issue so long as Ty shows a flexible and quick hook.

GSW beat Denver, so that puts more pressure on the Clips to be perfect. Gotta win on Saturday and it feels like Kawhi is likely to play.