National Basketball Association
L.A. Clippers 121, Miami 104
When: 10:30 PM ET, Monday, January 1, 2024
Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California
Officials: #14 Ed Malloy, #38 Michael Smith, #63 Derek Richardson
Attendance: 19370

Kawhi Leonard scored 24 points and grabbed six rebounds after missing the past four games and Paul George added 23 points as the Los Angeles Clippers earned a 121-104 victory over the visiting Miami Heat on Monday.

Norman Powell scored 22 points off the bench on 9-of-11 shooting and James Harden added 15 points and 10 assists as the Clippers won for the 12th time in their past 14 contests. Both defeats during that run came when Leonard was out with a left hip contusion.

Ivica Zubac had 12 rebounds as Los Angeles ended a three-game losing streak to Miami while winning for the ninth time in its past 10 home games.

Bam Adebayo recorded 21 points and 15 rebounds and Kevin Love added 17 points off the bench as the short-handed Heat lost consecutive games for the first time since late November. Miami was without Jimmy Butler (foot), Caleb Martin (ankle), Josh Richardson (back) and Haywood Highsmith (concussion protocol).

Duncan Robinson scored 15 points, as did UCLA product Jaime Jaquez Jr. in his homecoming for the Heat, who are 1-2 on a five-game road trip. Tyler Herro had 12 points for Miami but did not score in the second half.

The Clippers' Russell Westbrook used two first-quarter baskets to move past Patrick Ewing and into 25th place on the all-time scoring list. Westbrook finished with eight points and has 24,821 for his career.

Miami led 35-23 after one quarter, but the Clippers stormed back to take a 59-58 lead at halftime after trailing by as many as 14 points in the second quarter. Los Angeles then opened a 95-85 lead after George scored 12 points in the third quarter.

George made three baskets from 3-point range in the game to move past JJ Redick and into second place on the Clippers' all-time list.

The Clippers took a 106-90 lead with 8:41 left in the game after a transition 3-pointer from Leonard, and Miami never pulled within single digits the rest of the way. Miami removed its starters trailing 117-97 with 2:55 remaining.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Miami   L.A. Clippers
Bam Adebayo 21 Scoring Kawhi Leonard 24
Tyler Herro 6 Assists James Harden 10
Bam Adebayo 15 Rebounds Ivica Zubac 12
Bam Adebayo 9 Free Throws Made Paul George 6
Jaime Jaquez Jr. 4 Steals Kawhi Leonard 4
Kevin Love 2 Blocks James Harden 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Miami 104 42.2 11-34 23-29 24 35 3 7 14
L.A. Clippers 121 58.8 14-29 13-14 25 37 3 10 17
Upcoming Games
  • L.A. Clippers will play their next game on the road against Phoenix. The Clippers have a W/L % of .684 after a win and .538 after a loss.
  • Miami will play their next game on the road against L.A. Lakers. The Heat have a W/L % of .579 after a win and .571 after a loss.