Game 62: San Antonio Spurs (14-46) @ Utah Jazz (30-31)

[Crunch 99]

I didn't see the game, but apparently Lauri had a big Q4 again --- 14 pts. Kessler got four blocks late in the game. There was also praise for Dunn, who had 15 pts, 7 rebs (3 orebs), 8 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl and 0 tovs.

Game recap:
https://www.espn.com/nba/recap/_/gameId/401469064

[FJS]

Yeah, Dunn has been a great replacement for Conley. The guy does a little bit of everything. Look like he can't shoot 3, but he can score near the basket with great efficiency, can rebound and can pass. He is 28 and he is cheap.

[Inigo Montoya]

Dunn is looking good and isn't leaving the Jazz much choice in giving him another 10-day contract and then retain him for the remainder of the season. 15-7-8 in 23 minutes with 0 turnovers.

The Jazz started slow but killed the Spurs with size.

Fontecchio finally made a 3 and Markkanen, after another slow start from 3, ended 3-7, which is an improvement.

Kessler continues to beast and Agbaji continues to be solid.

[pickIBL]

The tank is Not on.

[FranchisePlayer]

Yeah, Dunn has been a great replacement for Conley. The guy does a little bit of everything. Look like he can't shoot 3, but he can score near the basket with great efficiency, can rebound and can pass. He is 28 and he is cheap.

Ainge is a mastermind!

Dunn is a keeper.

[red4hf]

Yeah, Dunn has been a great replacement for Conley. The guy does a little bit of everything. Look like he can't shoot 3, but he can score near the basket with great efficiency, can rebound and can pass. He is 28 and he is cheap.

In addition to all that, he's our only legit perimeter defender......

[Crunch 99]

Kris Dunn highlights:

Watch on YouTube

[BigJimFinn]

Yeah, Dunn has been a great replacement for Conley. The guy does a little bit of everything. Look like he can't shoot 3, but he can score near the basket with great efficiency, can rebound and can pass. He is 28 and he is cheap.

In addition to all that, he's our only legit perimeter defender......

Dunn can certainly help a team that had no NBA point guards on the roster and no good guard defenders, but please don't fall into thinking he can be a key piece going forward. He is 29 soon and in his 7th season, and hasn't really played in the league over the last three. After watching him for 3 years in Chicago and now in the last 2 games, he still looks to be a reluctant 3p shooter with a slow and off-balance form, hesitant passer and gamble-happy defender. He has never been able to score inside efficiently or consistently against NBA defenses, which the Spurs don't really have at the moment. His TS% peaked at 50%, and his patented move is a slow dribble into a contested 12-foot jumper he hits at 40%.

So, he looks good right now by default, and is surely a better lead ballhandling option than JC and THT, but he would be a fifth guard at best in a good team, and hasn't been able to hold even that role before. A multi-year contract at anything over minimum would be a bad move.

[Crunch 99]

The hopeless*, no-name, tanking Spurs lost their last 15 games in a row by an average of 16.3 points, 127.3 to 111, so you can argue that this good performance by Dunn deserves a Spurs' asterisk, but a standout stat to me was Dunn's zero tovs in the same game where the Spurs forced 5 tovs a piece from guards Clarkson and THT.

I am not going to permit myself to become so optimistic to think that Dunn is the PGOTF, but I am pretty hopeful that he can at least be a legit, good rotation player off the bench. Also, he is 31 of 75 on threes in G league this season, for 41.3%, so I am not ruling out the possibility that he works his NBA 3p% in to the low 30s or better.

*I hope calling the Spurs hopeless doesn't jinx us for tomorrow's rematch. Lol.