Ty Lue Reveals Reason for Benching Longtime Clippers Starter

The LA Clippers made a starting lineup change vs. the Houston Rockets.

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue at a press conference at Intuit Dome. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The LA Clippers dropped their second-straight game on Wednesday night, falling to the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Clippers head coach Ty Lue made a starting lineup change for this game, benching Terance Mann for Kris Dunn.

Mann had started all 11 games to start the season, and 71 of the 75 games he appeared in last season. Asked about this decision after the game, Lue said he wanted another ball handler on the floor next to James Harden.

“Just trying to get another ball handler on the floor with James,” Lue said. “When teams try to pressure him. Like [Dillon] Brooks, like [Lu] Dort… I thought getting [Kris Dunn] on the court, a true point guard, I thought would help… That was my thought process going into it.”

Lue added on Mann, “I think his energy is great, coming in off the bench, being able to attack a little bit more. He was more aggressive. He had an aggressive mindset tonight and so it was good to see my guy get going again, so I’m happy for that. Now we just got to continue to keep doing it.”

Mann played well off the bench, finishing with a season-high 14 points. Dunn also played well as a starter, finishing with 11 points, eight assists, four rebounds, and two steals in 31 minutes of play.

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