Jacari McRae | January 25th, 2020
The Miami Heat suffered their second home loss of the season. This time against another LA team in the Los Angeles Clippers. After building an early 15-point lead, the Heat found themselves playing from behind thanks to a rough third quarter. Miami’s season record is now at 31-14.
Here are my takeaways from Friday’s home loss to the Clippers.
Third Quarter
The third quarter was where the Clippers took full control of the game. After leading the Clippers in the first two periods, the Heat’s offense went cold in the third period. The Clippers won the period 38-20 on 56.5 shooting from the field and 8-of-12 shooting from three. They entered the fourth period with a 16-point lead.
Clippers star Kawhi Leonard was the driving force behind their run. Leonard scored 17 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the field and 3-of-3 shooting from three.
Butler Down
It was a rough night for Jimmy Butler. First, he was poked in the eye in the first half. He left before halftime and returned just in time for the third period. Then he rolled his ankle after landing awkwardly on a three-point attempt. He rolled his ankle again in the fourth quarter, leaving the game with six minutes left to play.
Butler finished with 20 points on 6-of-15 shooting, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The Wait is over
After serving three suspensions, Dion Waiters played for the first time this season. With so many limited options available, Miami turned to Waiters to fill the void. Waiters entered the game in the first quarter to a standing ovation from the Heat crowd. It looked as if Waiters never left with the guard loading up on three-point attempts.
https://twitter.com/MiamiHEAT/status/1220915604737097728
He did, however, play a huge role in the Heat’s late rally providing scoring and defense. Waiters ended the night with 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-9 shooting from three.
Next up: The Orlando Magic on Monday. Game tips off at 7:30pm ET.
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Main Image Credit:
https://www.hothothoops.com/2019/11/6/20952299/dion-waiters-miami-heat-playing-time-suspension-nba
