Despite recent tough losses, Dunn emphasizes the Clippers' resilience.
The Los Angeles Clippers dropped their third straight game on Thursday night, but veteran guard Kris Dunn is not hitting the panic button just yet.
The Minnesota Timberwolves came into Intuit Dome and walked out with a 94-88 win, holding the Clippers to a season-low 38 points in the first half.
Anthony Edwards led the way for Minnesota with 31 points, and a step-back three-pointer with 42.9 seconds left put the game away for good.
Derrick Jones Jr. led Los Angeles with 18 points, Bennedict Mathurin added 14, and Dunn chipped in 11 points in the loss, which dropped the Clippers to 27-31 on the season.
It was the first time since December that the Clippers have lost three in a row, and it came without Kawhi Leonard, who sat out with an ankle injury.
Still, Dunn made it clear after the game that the locker room is far from discouraged.
"It would be different if we were losing by 20," Dunn said. "Just gotta fix a couple mistakes...other than that, I think the group is still excited for what we can do once we get over the hump."
Close Losses Paint a Bigger Picture
There is something to what Dunn is saying. The Clippers have been in a rough stretch, but the losses have not been blowouts.
Thursday's six-point loss to a surging Timberwolves squad that improved to 37-23 was a game that could have gone either way, and the two defeats before it against the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers were decided by a combined five points.
Los Angeles has been competitive in all three games without getting the results they need, and that is the kind of losing that can be fixed with a few adjustments rather than a full-blown roster overhaul.
Jones Jr. has stepped up in a big way since returning from his knee injury earlier this season, and Mathurin has looked like a different player since coming over from Indiana at the trade deadline.
Those two combined for 32 points against Minnesota and have given the Clippers a real scoring punch alongside Leonard when he is available.
Garland Could Be the Missing Piece
The biggest reason for optimism in Los Angeles right now has nothing to do with what is happening on the court and everything to do with what is coming.
Darius Garland, who was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers in the James Harden trade, participated in his first full 5-on-5 scrimmage this week and could make his Clippers debut as early as March 1 against the New Orleans Pelicans.
Garland averaged 18.0 points and 6.9 assists per game with Cleveland this season before being sidelined with a toe injury, and his shot creation and playmaking are exactly what this team has been missing.
Head coach Tyronn Lue has been vocal about how good Garland has looked in practice, and Dunn himself said the team cannot wait to get him out there.
For a team sitting four games under .500 and holding onto the ninth seed in a crowded Western Conference, Garland's return could be the spark that turns close losses into wins.
The Clippers have gone 21-10 since their ugly 6-21 start, so the talent and the fight are clearly there.
If they can get fully healthy and clean up the small mistakes Dunn is talking about, this team still has a real shot at making some noise down the stretch.
The Clippers host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. ET.