Harden G6 participated in 58 offensives and contributed 60 points. Jokic: The Clippers may start Batum

In the first round of G6, the Clippers defeated the Nuggets and dragged the series into a tiebreak battle. The Clippers' secret to winning is to get Harden into the form early and through a key lineup adjustment at halftime to ensure he has enough room to display his skills.

Tyron Lu let Batum start in the second half, replacing Chris Dunn, who has a stronger sense of defense. Dunn became a burden on the offensive end because the Nuggets would empty him, and whenever Harden received the ball, he often sent players who defended Dunn to double-team Harden. Batum is a more threatening offensive player and his defense is well-rounded enough to keep up with Murray. Murray scored 43 points in Game 5 to beat the Clippers, but scored only 21 points in Game 6.

"When we put on a small scorer lineup, we were able to slightly widen the score difference in the game," Lu said. "This gave Harden and Leonard more room to attack more actively." After the game, Lu thanked Dunn and Ben Simmons. Neither of them played in the second half after the Clippers adopted a smaller lineup that focused on offense. Lu thanked them for taking the overall situation into consideration and understanding the reasons why he made the lineup adjustment.

"That's team spirit, and at all costs to win, these guys fully understand that," Lu said, "even though they've made a huge contribution to us all year long. So I just want to say thank you to them."

This lineup adjustment was immediate, and the Clippers made 6 of 6 shots after receiving Batum's pass in the second half. On the defensive end, Batum also performed well. According to Genius IQ, Batum is the first player to defend Murray and Jokic at least 15 half-time matches in the same playoff game. He defended Murray 25 times and Jokic 16 times.

"Batum's shooting is much better than Dunn," Jokic said bluntly. "Batum is an excellent defensive player. He can defend 1 to 5. I think with Batum, they have no holes in defense. They may start him in the next game."

Harden seized the opportunity. After only 35 offenses in Game 5, Harden regained his usual ball-use rate in Game 6, contributing 60 points in 58 offenses (1.03 points per game).

He was very efficient and Lu barely let him go.

"I'm very tired," Harden said after playing for 47 minutes. He yawned twice at the press conference but said he would go all out again in Saturday's tiebreak battle if necessary. "It's a must. No matter what the team needs. If it's 47 minutes, 48 ​​minutes, or even overtime, I'll do it anyway."