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The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Miami Heat 103-95 in Miami on Sunday.
Slipped away in the final frame pic.twitter.com/iobZMABDfJ
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) February 5, 2024
Game Takeaways
While the Heat kept it close for most of the game, it wasn’t enough to hold off Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. Leonard scored 25 in the win, and the hot Clippers extended their record to 33-15 and 25-5 since the start of December, the best record in the league. James Harden was two rebounds short of a triple-double with 21 points and 11 assists. On the Heat side, Jimmy Butler scored 21 points with four rebounds and three assists. This was his fifth straight game with 20+ points. Terry Rozier followed him with 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Harden for 3… COUNT IT 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/lsunM8cIvC
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) February 5, 2024
The Heat led 22-19 at the end of the first quarter until the Clippers came back to tie the game going into halftime 43-43. However, the Clippers pulled away in the second half despite a strong defensive performance from Miami. It would be the 12 fourth quarter fouls committed by the Heat that would be the downfall in the end.
Sliding Miami team
The Heat suffered their 11th loss of 2024 to extend their record to 26-24. After a seven-game losing streak spanning from Jan. 17-to-Jan. 31, the Heat bounced back with two straight wins against the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards.
Despite their recent struggles, the Heat still sit in second in the Southeast Division behind the Orlando Magic.
What’s next
Miami looks to rebound from their loss and get back on track against the Magic, Tuesday. The Heat currently have a 2-1 record against Orlando this season. In the two teams’ most recent matchup on Jan. 21 in Orlando, the Heat lost 105-87.
Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
The Clippers will visit Atlanta on Monday to take on the Hawks at 7:30 p.m. They will seek to extend their win streak to four. This will be their final game of their seven-game road trip before they return to Los Angeles on Wednesday.
