Paul George and the Clippers have now won six-straight games after beating the Heat, who leave LA empty-handed after back-to-back defeats that both went down to the wire.
The Heat leave LA battered and with two-straight close defeats.
After losing Jimmy Butler to an ankle injury against the Lakers yesterday, Tyler Herro was moved to the starting lineup.
The Miami Heat got off to a blistering start, out scoring the LA Clippers 15-9 to open the first quarter in their second game of a back-to-back set. That forced a timeout, but little could be done to stop their scoring barrage as the first finished 40-25 in Miami’s favor. Obviously annoyed with the loss to the Lakers, Bam Adebayo went nuts from the field in the first half. He scored 24 points while making 9 of 11 shots.
As usual, the Clippers made a nice run of their own, cutting the lead to 58-56 at halftime after being down by as much as 17.
Things continues to go wrong for the Heat in the second half, as the Clippers pushed their lead to 93-82 with 9:03 left in the game. Fatigue looked to have kicked in as they struggled from the field after their blistering first quarter. LA got a taste of their own medicine, though, and saw their lead cut to 102-99 with 3:15 left in the game. It was still only a 108-104 Clippers advantage with just under a minute to play, and Kyle Lowry cut that to 108-107 with a three-point play with 40.7 left in the game. Lowry managed to steal the ball after that, but Miami weren’t able to capitalize on the fast break opportunity. Reggie Jackson pushed the lead to 110-107 with a pair of free throws with 11 seconds left, giving the Heat another chance to tie the game. Lowry drove the ball for a layup to make it 110-109 with 4.9 seconds left. Jackson made it 112-109 with more free throws, setting up another last-gasp attempt for the Heat. Miami never got the chance as the Nicolas Batum stole the ball to seal the game.
Adebayo cooled off in the second half as he finished with 30 points and 11 rebounds, and Herro had 23 points, but needed 23 shots to get them. Lowry, who sprang to life in the fourth quarter, finished with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists.
Paul George led the way for the Clippers with 27 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. He got plenty of help as five other Clippers scored in double figures, including 21 points from Eric Bledsoe and a 18 point and 11 rebound double-double from Ivica Zubac. Reggie Jackson finished with 22 points.
The Jazz and Pacers combine for four ejections
With the Jazz down 10 with 4:01 left in the game, a fight broke out between Rudy Gobert and Myles Turner. The scuffle, which was more like an extended hugging session instead of a real throw down, ended up seeing Turner and Gobert receiving ejections alongside Donovan Mitchell and Joe Ingles. Ingles probably did the most damage by accidentally shoving a ref in the neck.
The triple-ejection capped off a rough night for the Jazz, who lost 111-100.
Malcolm Brogdon was the key man on the floor for the Pacers, and he finished with 30 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists while shooting 10 of 23 from the field.
Tyrese Maxey balled out for the second time in a row, but Fred VanVleet and the Raptors had an answer
Tyrese Maxey went off for 33 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, a steal and 2 blocks, but wasn’t able to help the Philadelphia 76ers overcome the Toronto Raptors as they lost 119-105. Maxey, who is averaging 32 PPG in his last two games, was on fire, shooting 12 of 19 from the field. He did his damage inside the arc, as he only made one of three shots from three. Andre Drummond was a forced in the paint, with 4 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 blocks. Tobias Harris, who cleared health and safety protocols after a six-game absence, had 19 points in his return.
Obviously, Joel Embiid’s Covid-19 problems plus Ben Simmons’ continued absence continues to be a problem, but Maxey has shown great flashes.
The Raptors needed someone to answer Maxey, and today it was Fred VanVleet. FVV shot 11 of 22 and 6 of 11 from deep on the way to 32 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and a steal. Gary Trent Jr. and OG Anunoby both chipped in 20 points, while Scottie Barnes added 13 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, a steal and 2 blocks.
