LA Clippers’ Franchise-Record Number of Threes Beats Miami Heat, 128-111

The Los Angeles Clippers woke up in the second half to beat the Miami Heat this Wednesday night at the Staples Center. Doc Rivers’ boys posted a 128-111 win over the guests from Florida. After having a thrilling ending against the San Antonio Spurs, this one was much more routine. The Clippers scored 24 threes, setting a new franchise record.

“That’s the best version of basketball we can play… When the ball is moving, and we’re sharing it,” said Landry Shamet, who dropped six of them. ” Just trying to find open looks, fins our spacing, and knock down open looks.”

Shots were falling tonight from distance 🔥

It was a franchise-record 24 made threes tonight for the @LAClippers!#ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/tQXFiU40dy

— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) February 6, 2020

However, the hosts had to come back after trailing at the halftime, once again starting the game a bit slower. They even had a double-digit deficit midway through the second, with Miami leading 43-31.

A 10-0 series led up to this situation, but the Clippers responded pretty fast, cutting the gap to just three points at the halftime.

During the middle of the third quarter, the Clips were the ones who scored 11 unanswered points, turning the game upside down, to take a 76-65 advantage and slowly pull away from Eric Spoelstra’s side. After that, it was more less a routine situation for the hosts, who even made this win a convincing one with another push in the final two minutes of the match.

The Clippers had eight players with 10 or more points and were more than good from downtown hitting 24 long-distance shots. It is the new franchise record for the less famous franchise form the City of Angles.

Paul George and Landry Shamet both had 23 points, with the note that they combined for 11 threes. Shamet had six as we said, while PG added one fewer. George also had 10 assists and five boards, while Shamet had 6 dimes.

“I’m just glad I showed up in the second half,” said Shamet who was 1-for-7 before exploding in the latter part of the game. “My teammates were believing in me, keep throwing me the ball, telling me to shoot.”

Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell had 14 points each, same as Kawhi Leonard who posted nine assists and 7 boards. JaMychal Green scored 12, same as Ivica Zubac who grabbed 8 rebounds and posted three blocks. Mo Harkless had 11 buckets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ednn7R-nGQU

On the other side, Derrick Jones Jr, dropped 25 points, shooting 10-for-12 from the field, and assisting nine times. Bam Adebayo had a double-double – 22 and 11 boards, with 6 assists. Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn had 13 each, while Jimmy Butler had a bit slower game facing Leonard and George guarding him. He left the game with a right shoulder injury and didn’t come back until the end.

Miami’s All-Star scored 11 points, having just seven shots from the field, and contributing with 7 assists and five rebounds. Duncan Robinson also had 11 buckets.

“It was an avalanche in the second half of that threes,” Spoelstra said following the game. “We just couldn’t get a handle on, whether it was man or zone.”

His Heat (34-16) kicked-off a six-game tour with tonight’s game. After this one, they travel to Sacramento to meet the Kings on Friday, and have stops at Portland, San Francisco, Utah, and Atlanta before coming back home.

The Clippers (36-15) now travel to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves, and following that contest have three more visits, all of them to the Eastern Conference teams. The first would be to the Cavs, then the 76ers and in the end to the Boston Celtics.