LOS ANGELES (AP) — Bam Adebayo had 31 points and 13 rebounds as the Miami Heat recovered from a 21-point lead to beat the Los Angeles Clippers 110-100 on Monday night for a second straight win.
Tyler Herro added 23 points and Victor Oladipo scored 15 off the bench for a 4 of 5 win. They dominated a two-game season series for the first time since 2017-18.
Paul George led the Clippers with 25 points and seven assists, but the Clippers were missing Kawhi Leonard in a three-game losing streak. He was absent due to illness other than his COVID-19.
Miami opened the fourth with a seven-game streak to take an 88-83 lead. The Clippers pulled 96-95 with Luke Kennard’s 3-pointer. He scored 8 of 11 points in the fourth.
But George and John Wall made back-to-back turnovers, and the Heat went 103-95 for seven straight runs. Miami fans yelled “Let’s go Heat!” in the final minutes.
The Heat took the lead with 21 in the second and 18 in the third before Los Angeles rallied.
The Clippers’ starting five engineered a comeback from 18 points down in third place. Combined, George (3) and Marcus Morris (1) hit his four consecutive 3-pointers, capping a 28-8 run and putting the Clippers ahead 77-75. It was the first lead since the season opener.
After Miami’s Max Strass tied the game with a three-pointer, George hit two free throws to put the Clippers in fourth, 83-81.
The Clippers started the second by six points with a 12-6 run, before Nicolas Batum’s three-pointer tied the score at 40-1.
But the Heat took over from there.
Miami beat the Clippers 27-9 and led 67-49 going into halftime. As his second unit in the Heat dominated, Hero made his four 3-pointers and Strus he added one.
tip in
Heat: Udonis Haselm (right Achilles tendonitis) out. … Dewayne Dedmon (Health and Safety Protocol) resolved Monday. Depending on his mood, he can return for his final two matches of the trip. … Caleb Martin (left quadriceps strain) was the time decision. He started and had 2 points and 3 rebounds in 14 minutes.
Clippers: Marcus Morris received a technical in the second for tipping the ball out of the referee’s hands after a call he didn’t like.
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Heat: Staying in LA to watch the Lakers on Wednesday.
The Clippers: Start a two-game trip in Denver on Thursday.
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