Blake Griffin and DeAndgre Jordan shine for the Clippers, while the Heat rest their key players.
The Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Miami Heat 99-89 in an exhibition game at the Mercedes-Benz Arena here at Shanghai in what was the second of a two game series as part of the NBA China Games. The Miami Heat won the first game,
but the Clippers came with revenge on their mind and outperformed the defending champions on the night, picking up the confidence building victory. Chris Paul played his first preseason game after being sidelined with a thumb injury, and his return to the
Clippers roster inspired the team to put up a great performance. DeAndre Jordan finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds, going a perfect 8 of 8 from the field. Blake Griffin had 13 points and 10 rebounds where as Jamal Crawford came off the bench to score 15
points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. Rodney Carney was the top scorer for the Heat, finishing with a team high 15 points and 5 rebounds.
The Clippers came out firing on all cylinders as they found their rhythm early on. Miami matched play with play and a couple of early fast break points by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade had the crowd on their feet. However, the Clippers
quickly regrouped and went on an 8-0 run to close the first period and take a 32-22 lead over Miami. The Heat had four turnovers in the final two minutes of the first period, as they relaxed a bit and allowed the Clippers to run away with the lead.
Miami attempted to cut into the lead in the second period, and two free throws by Josh Harrellson had them trailing 36-43, but a three point shot by Jamal Crawford put the Clippers back up 48-36. Los Angeles led 57-43 at half time
and went into the break happy with their performance over the first two quarters.
Back to back three pointers by Caron Butler extended the lead for the Clippers to 72-54 in the third period, and Jamal Crawford closed the period for the Clippers with two free throws that gave them a comfortable 84-67 lead. Butler
had a big third quarter, and finished with 11 points in the game while going 3 of 4 from the three point range and 4 of 6 overall from the field.
Miami attempted to stage a comeback in the final period, and a three point shot by Carney had the Heat trailing 82-93. Terrel Harris then scored five quick points and the Heat were within striking distance of the Clippers, trailing
87-93 and having slowly chipped off a huge deficit. However, the Clippers kept composure and held on to the lead while the Heat were unable to continue their impressive run, and Los Angeles eventually took the game 99-89.
Matt Barnes finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Clippers. LeBron James and Chris Bosh both had 11 points for the night, while Dwyane Wade finished with 7 points after playing a little over eight minutes. Harris and Harrellson
both had 9 points for the night.
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