LA Clippers down Wade-less Miami Heat
Blake Griffin scored 26 points and grabbed 7 boards while Chris Paul also scored 26 points and dished out game-high 12 assists for the Los Angeles Clippers to beat the Miami Heat 110-93. Chris Bosh scored game-high 28 points and rookie Shabazz Napier had a field day with 17 points and 3 assists.
Wade-less Miami struggle
Miami has been playing without the services of Dwyane Wade and point guard Norris Cole. Dwyane Wade has been sidelined for the 4th straight game due to a hamstring injury and will be out indefinitely as he is listed day to day. Norris Cole on the other hand had to leave the game as he injured his left middle finger midway through the 2nd quarter.
The Clippers started the game firing out on all cylinders and jumping on a 22-8 start. Los Angeles kept on pounding the ball inside against a very thin frontcourt of Miami. The Clippers, who is averaging around 24 points in the first quarter, scored 39 big points in the first quarter on a 71% fg shooting. While Los Angeles got to a hot start, Miami only managed to score 15 points.
Clippers showed no mercy
As the Clippers are getting the job done inside, they also got their game behind the arc. They hit 13 of their 31 shots from distance. JJ Redick who is struggling to hit his shots so far in this season, has made 4 3-point field goals. While the clippers are hitting their strides beyond the arc, Miami has missed their first 11 three point attempts in the game. Los Angeles outscored Miami in scoring from behind the arc, 39-18.
Chris Bosh who is currently 18th in scoring throughout the league, spearheaded Miami’s attack after the half. Miami has made a mini 8-0 run to chop the lead to 14 that goes as high as 25 at one point in the game. But for every Miami run, there’s a Los Angeles answer. After Miami’s run, the Clippers made a 9-0 run of their own capped by a slam dunk by DeAndre Jordan to end the third quarter.
The Clippers improved to 7-4 with a 2 game streak while the Heat goes down to 6-6 for the season. The Clippers will continue their 7 game road trip in Memphis to battle the league leading Grizzlies. The road trip will help the Clippers to bond as “trust” issues has been swirling around the team. The heat will try to bounce back and will also hit the road and battle the Magic in Orlando.