Clippers sail to 25th win in 30 as Heat starts to cool
While LA extends its streak, Beal shines for the Suns against former NBA side
MIAMI — The Los Angeles Clippers have been on the road for nearly two weeks, forced from their home court because of the Grammy Awards.
It hasn’t slowed the Clippers down whatsoever.
Kawhi Leonard had 25 points and 11 rebounds, James Harden scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half, and the Clippers remained red-hot by toppling the cooling Miami Heat 103-95 on Sunday night. They improved to 5-1 on their sevengame, 11-day trip that ends Monday night in Atlanta.
“You get those mental blocks at this stage, but we’ve been staying afloat,” Leonard said. “I appreciate everybody coming out and playing and staying locked-in. Those are the things that I’m happy about.”
The Clippers are more than “staying afloat”. They are 25-5 since the start of December — by far the best record in the NBA over that span. Harden flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 11 assists and eight rebounds. Norman Powell scored 16 points and Paul George added 11 for the Clippers.
“It’s just having the mindset that we’re going to try to win every game,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “I give the guys credit. They’ve been doing that. We have a lot of talent. We have a lot of guys willing to sacrifice, to do whatever it takes to win, and that’s what we did.”
Jimmy Butler scored 21 points and Terry Rozier finished with 17 for the Heat, who fell to 2-8 in their last 10. Bam Adebayo and Josh Richardson each had 14 points for Miami.
“We have to figure out how to make it flow,” Adebayo said. “You have to make it flow, or it’s not going to work ... We’ve been in worse situations.”
Adebayo grabbed 13 rebounds and Caleb Martin scored 11 points for Miami, which played without its two best 3-point shooters. Duncan Robinson remains under the NBA’s concussion protocols, and Tyler Herro was slated to start Sunday, then was a very late scratch after being diagnosed with a migraine.
Miami was held to fewer than 100 points for the 12th time this season. The Heat are 2-10 in those games; only Portland and Charlotte have more sub-100-point games this season.
“There are some things, offensively, you can do with better pace and better intention,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s not exclusive to us. We’ll work on that and we’ll get better.”
The teams combined for seven first-half fouls, the fewest in any NBA game this season. The 43 points at halftime was a season-low for the Clippers, and tied the thirdfewest halftime points for the Heat. And the 86 combined points at the break were the sixth-fewest out of more than 700 games played so far this season.
However, the second half saw every offensive number tip the Clippers’ way. They shot 50 percent to Miami’s 42 percent, outscored the Heat 27-12 from the 3-point line and were 17 for 20 from the foul line — compared with Miami’s 6 for 6.
Best of Beal
Phoenix guard Bradley Beal unleashed a season-high 43-point barrage against his former NBA club on Sunday, hitting 16 of 21 shots in a 140-112 triumph at Washington.
The 30-year-old sank four of five shots from 3-point range and all seven of his free throws, while contributing six assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
“Spectacular,” said Suns coach Frank Vogel. “He’s one of the best players in the world. That’s why we were excited to get him in Phoenix.
“He played great defense. Came out sharing the basketball. It’s about being aggressive and reading the defense. He did a great job with that.”
Beal, the third overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, spent 11 seasons with the Wizards, averaging 22.1 points a game for a perennial doormat, reaching the playoffs only once in his time with Washington.
The Wizards played a video tribute to Beal to mark his first visit since being traded last June, while fans gave him a standing ovation.
“Tonight was awesome,” Beal said. “It was a good separation. No hard feelings.”
Kevin Durant added 18 points for the Suns, who improved to 29-21 while sinking the Wizards to 9-40.