How Nicolas Batum Saved The Day For The Clippers In Game 6

In what was swelling toward a crucial decision virtually all series, Los Angeles Clippers head coach Ty Lue finally reached a crossroads at halftime of Game 6. His trusty starting unit of James Harden, Norman Powell, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac had cratered. Despite the Clippers registering a plus-9.4 net rating and 13-5 record (59-win pace) with that group during the regular season, they were failing against the Denver Nuggets to the tune of a minus-11.5 net rating in 204 possessions.

Clinging to a one-point lead entering halftime and on the verge of a third straight first-round exit, Lue and the Clippers elected to pull the plug on their typical opening lineup. Dunn, the All-Defensive-caliber stalwart, was swapped for Nicolas Batum to form a quintet which only saw six minutes throughout the regular season.

Dunn’s poor floor-spacing and general lack of offensive pizazz were sinking Los Angeles. The Nuggets aggressively tagged off of him to muck up pick-and-rolls or ignored him altogether to curtail drives, daring the shaky outside shooter to punish their strategy. But thus far, he has not, shooting 34.6 percent from deep and 50 percent on twos. Denver is handing him a steady diet of high-quality shots and he’s failing to muster league average results.

The Clippers’ offense is 4.0 points better per 100 possessions without Dunn on the floor in this series while their net rating is 22.3 points better. So, with only 24 guaranteed minutes remaining to extend their season, they benched Dunn the entire second half and instead rode Batum to victory.

Batum’s Versatile Defense Was Essential

Both because of the Frenchman’s performance and the end result, that gambit paid off. Batum was sensational all night, particularly following intermission. He played a season-high 34 minutes, including 21 in the second half, and recorded six points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and two steals. During his 34 minutes, Los Angeles outscored Denver by 11 points and was outscored by five when he rested for 14 minutes.

His defensive assignments ranged from Jamal Murray to Nikola Jokic. He served as the backup center — taking Ben Simmons’ spot there — and closing 4-man, offering immense benefits in both roles. Batum’s most vital imprint didn’t show up in the box score either.

Throughout most of the second half, he was tethered to Murray, who exploded for 40 points in Game 5 and scored 12 points in the first quarter of Game 6. When Murray catches a wave, he’s an ethereal shot-maker, capable of lacing jumpers from any release point at any spot, no matter the contest. The key is to limit his volume altogether. If a shot goes up, it’s got a chance. Don’t give him the chance. It’s a task much easier instructed than executed.

Batum did precisely that, though. He extended Murray’s touches well outside the arc, denied him the ball and forced him away from most screens. Per my rough hand-tracked data, 19 of Murray’s 21 points, 15 of his 19 shots and five of his eight assists occurred when Batum was off the court or not his primary defender. Rarely did Murray incur success creating for himself or others while wrangling with the long-limbed lad from Lisieux.

And it wasn’t just Murray whom Batum flustered as an off-ball irritant. Jokic and Russell Westbrook were on the receiving end as well, victims of Batum’s brilliant positioning, timing and body control. He complicated passing windows, directed the offense toward less preferable options (a la creation duties for Aaron Gordon) and disrupted Denver’s typically cohesive attack. Like a young cousin kicking their relative under the dinner table, it was a masterclass in subtle annoyance.

Welcomed Offensive Wrinkles

Among Los Angeles’ defensive objectives this series is to prevent Jokic from catching the ball in the pocket off of his two-man connection with Murray. Jokic is devastating in that spot, equipped to loft up a floater, finish inside, spray kickouts to shooters or set up cutters for easy buckets at the rim.

Whereas that pass is routinely open if defenses trap, station a big near the level of the screen or employ drop coverage, the Clippers are opting to switch or bring back-side help to deter that pass. Although Dunn fared adequately in this role, Batum maintains the important characteristics he offers — viability guarding Murray, fronting Jokic after a switch, length to dissuade the pocket pass — and enhances their offense to heights Dunn cannot replicate.

The contrast between their presence was evident Thursday and has been throughout this matchup. Los Angeles logged a 128.7 offensive rating with Batum in Game 6 (111.1 without him) and is 4.6 points better offensively when he’s on the floor across the whole series (119.0 vs. 114.4).

Batum holsters a snappy release and the track record to stress defenders (40 percent from deep since 2020-21). He’ll fire no-dip threes to beat punctual closeouts, whip out a shot fake into sidestep triples or simply drain rhythmic spot-up looks. He’s not a high-level movement shooter but he certainly demands respect from the opposition.

The Nuggets confirmed that reality and it hardly even required Batum to touch the ball. They switched his screens to avoid open pick-and-pop threes, which handed Harden favorable matchups. They rarely helped off of him and gave Los Angeles’ stars more space to operate. If Denver did rotate away from him, he capitalized (2-of-5 beyond the arc).

Dunn has yet to consistently bend or punish the defense in any of those scenarios. The same goes for Simmons, who Batum has usurped as Zubac’s backup this series.

Though it generally pans out, Harden and Leonard are highly methodical players. As the engines of the Clippers’ offense, their habits dictate a style which can cause choppy, cumbersome possessions (such as late in Game 6). Batum is nothing like that. He’s an immediate processor and fluid decision-maker.

When the ball swings his way, he’s letting it fly or keeping the offense humming to maintain advantages. That approach is a necessary complement; deliberation does not suit role players well. A half-dozen assists in Game 6 illuminated the value of his decisive nature.

In Batum, the Clippers enjoy a role player who (broadly) merges Dunn’s perimeter defense and length with the size, passing and rebounding of Simmons. But unlike those two, he does not bury the offense during his minutes.

That dynamic, as well as his help-side rim protection, lets him play on-ball stopper alongside Los Angeles’ starters and man the small-ball center gig whenever Zubac rests. Plus, his shooting credentials allow him to share the court with the rangy, defensive-minded Derrick Jones Jr., who does not stretch the floor and thus makes minutes next to Dunn untenable. The depth of Batum’s versatility was felt throughout a do-or-die Game 6.

There is no guarantee he’ll produce another performance as excellent as that. The 34 minutes, 22 seconds he logged mark his most since April 7, 2024. He’s 36 years old and zoomed around the hardwood defensively. That wears on the body. Denver will also presumably unveil counters for the coverage Batum helped shepherd to render it less effective.

But even so, as Saturday’s Game 7 looms, he is clearly the current answer to the questions Dunn’s woes have ignited. Playoff runs often sputter because a team eventually fails to field a complete starting five. One (or more) of the options becomes unplayable. The Nuggets’ treatment of Dunn and his inability to exploit it risked Los Angeles already reaching that point. At least for now, Batum determined otherwise, and it was enough to keep the Clippers’ season rolling for two more days.