INGLEWOOD, Calif. – Nikola Jokic can see one of the Clippers’ Game 7 adjustments coming.

“They’re probably going to start Batum the next game,” Jokic said after the Clippers forced a win-or-go-home game Saturday with a 111-105 win in Game 6 Thursday night at Intuit Dome.

It feels like a safe bet. Clippers coach Tyronn Lue started Nicolas Batum in place of Kris Dunn in the second half of Game 6. The Clippers won the third quarter 32-22 to take an 11-point advantage to the fourth. Batum didn’t have a jaw-dropping stat line, but he did a little bit of everything in Game 6. The veteran made three of the five 3-pointers he attempted and finished with six points, six assists, five rebounds, three blocks and a couple of steals in 34 minutes of playing time.

“He makes rotations harder,” Nuggets interim coach David Adelman said. “He’s a guy that can really knock down the 3-point shot.”

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Denver’s defense was daring Dunn to shoot and used the extra defender to load up on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Dunn is regarded as one of the game’s better point-of-attack defenders, but the Clippers changed their strategy after Murray’s 43-point performance in Game 5 and another hot start to Game 6. Batum also spent some time guarding Jokic when Ivica Zubac was on the bench. Denver’s three-time Most Valuable Player didn’t see the Clippers’ defense drop off after the change.

“He’s guarding players one through five, so he’s a great defensive player,” Jokic said. “I don’t think they lack on the defensive end with Batum.”

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It took the Nuggets a quarter to adjust to the switch. Denver found the balance between showing Harden and Leonard the respect they require while sticking with the shooters surrounding them and limited the Clippers to 21 points in the fourth quarter.

“Late in the game, we figured something out with how we shrunk behind the ball,” Adelman said.

“When they have all shooters out there, yes, it is one-on-one defense, but it’s also a much better shrink, more stunting, more up the line, more aggression can help those guys that are guarding these two really good players.”

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After Batum went 4 of 6 from 3 in the Clippers’ big win in Game 3, Murray asked how old he is during his postgame press conference. The Nuggets’ guard let out a surprised “Damn!” when he found out Batum in 36, but there’s no doubt the Frenchman can still make an impact in big games.

“He adds a lot of shooting, spacing. He’s a high IQ player. He knows how to play. He knows how to defend, understands actions, stuff like that,” Murray said. “I think he’s a super good vet, man. It can impact any game and any team that he’s on.”