Danny Ainge adds playful twist to postgame interview after Dunn shines for Jazz

HONOLULU — Danny Ainge couldn't resist.

The Jazz executive saw Kris Dunn looking down and touching his chin as he answered questions following Utah's 101-96 preseason win over the Los Angeles Clippers, and headed over to have some fun with the veteran point guard.

Sporting a wide grin, Ainge interrupted Dunn mid-answer, lifted up his chin and teased him to "smile" and "keep your hand out of your face." Dunn busted up laughing as he walked away.

If Dunn, who is on a non-guaranteed deal, is looking for a tell on whether or not he'll be on the Jazz once the season starts, that might be a pretty good one. And after Dunn rescued the Jazz with a stellar second half Sunday in Utah's 101-96 preseason win over the Clippers, what's not to like?

Dunn scored 15 points on a perfect 7-for-7 shooting night from the field and handed out five assists. He added two steals, had a plus/minus of plus-10, and was the main catalyst of Utah coming back from double-digits down to beat the Clippers.

He did that all after not playing a minute in the first half.

"Kris, obviously, has a lot of experience. He's a really good communicator, he understands situations in the game really well, so I thought he did a good job of communicating to the group," Jazz coach Will Hardy said. "I thought Kris, having sat for a while in the game, came in and gave us a huge lift."

Dunn was the odd man out of the Jazz's first half guard rotation, at least Sunday. Hardy started Talen Horton-Tucker and Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson and Keyonte George got the backup minutes.

But it was Dunn who led the Jazz back from an 11-point deficit, and then closed the game making play after play after play. He got inside for scooping layups, he set up teammates for easy looks, he even made highlight reel steals. In the end, he won the Jazz the game.

"Those are the moments you want to be in," Dunn said of the tight finish. "And in those moments, that's when you've really got to dig deep. You've got to just stay sharp, keep doing what we do and keep doing what coach preaches."

In some ways, that describes how Dunn has to handle the preseason in general. The Jazz can waive him right up until the regular season starts. He isn't just competing for minutes, he's competing for a roster spot — even if he's trying not to think about that fact.

"You just brought it back to my mind, so thank you so much," he said, only half joking. "I don't really think about it. I just do my job. Right now, I want to be a great teammate, first to the players that are out there playing. And when my time comes, to go out there and showcase what I've done over my career and what I've been working on the offseason. And I leave everything else to God."

On Sunday, he showcased that.

And it appears Ainge was paying attention.

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