The Clippers' Chris Paul, left, and Blake Griffin have a little conversation during Wednesday's 107-100 victory over the Miami Heat at Staples Center. (John McCoy / Staff Photographer)
Photo gallery: Clippers-Heat NBA basketball
The Clippers smacked down another one Wednesday night.
They added the Miami Heat to their list of victims with a 107-100 victory at Staples Center, turning a close game into a runaway after Chris Paul took the game and made it his with a scoring binge late in the third quarter.
That would be the defending NBA champion Miami Heat, by the way.
The Clippers already knocked off the Memphis Grizzlies, Lakers and San Antonio Spurs before defeating the Heat.
Tougher tests are right around the corner, including a four-game trip after Saturday's home game against the Chicago Bulls.
After all, each of the Clippers' big four wins were at home.
Until they do it on the road, there will be questions about them.
Wednesday, the Heat's big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh were no match for Paul, Blake Griffin and the Clippers' superb second unit. The Clippers beat the Heat for the fifth consecutive game at Staples Center.
Paul drove a stake through the Heat's hearts late in the third quarter.
First, he swished a 3-pointer from near the `s' in Clippers lettering that extends across midcourt at Staples Center to beat the 24-second clock.
Officially, it
was from 32 feet away.Paul swished another three on the Clippers' next possession.
Then he drove, turned in midair and nearly tossed the ball into the basket as he was fouled. He made both free throws. Then he got fouled again and sank two more free throws. Then he hit one more after Wade drew a technical foul.
By the end of the third quarter, the Clippers led the Heat 85-74 after Paul had scored 13 consecutive points, turning Staples Center electric. Paul had the fans on their feet and roaring, "CP3, CP3," in celebration.
The Clippers' backups extended the lead to 95-76 on a drive from Jamal Crawford, who created big problems for the Heat's second unit.
That's nothing new, though. The Clippers' reserves have run amok since the season began.
Crawford finished with a team-leading 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting in a reserve role for the Clippers (6-2). Griffin added 20 points and a team-leading 14 rebounds, Paul had 16 points and 10 assists and Caron Butler scored 15 points.
James scored 30 points for Miami (6-3), and Wade had only six points.
The Clippers and the Heat traded spectacular dunks and jaw-dropping moves around the basket almost from the start, but all of it was mere warmup for what Eric Bledsoe did to Wade early in the second quarter.
Wade ran ahead of the pack after the Heat pried the ball from the Clippers. He seemed destined for a crowd-pleasing dunk, when Bledsoe cut him off. Wade rose, but so did Bledsoe. Higher and higher, Bledsoe soared before swatting away Wade's shot.
A sellout crowd of 19,146 roared in appreciation.
It was the signature play in a half filled with great ones.
The Clippers led by as many as six points in a back-and-forth half. The Heat led by as many as five.
The Clippers led after the first quarter 25-24. The Heat led by halftime 54-52.
It was not flawless basketball, with the Clippers committing 13 turnovers in the opening half and the Heat compiling 11, but it was must-see TV. The best players for each team were their best players in the early going.
Griffin latched onto every rebound. Or so it seemed. He had eight by halftime.
James didn't score every time he had the ball, but he had 11 in the first half.
If there was an X-factor in the early going, it was Miami backup forward Rashard Lewis, who scored 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting.
Lewis made all three of his shots from beyond the 3-point arc, stretching the Clippers' defense to its limit.
The Clippers shot a scalding 62.5 percent (10 of 16) in the second quarter, but were outscored by the Heat 30-27 and trailed 54-52 by halftime because Miami made 5 of 9 from behind the arc and the Clippers also had eight turnovers in the period.
elliott.teaford@dailybreeze.com
twitter.com/ElliottTeaford
Source: http://www.sbsun.com/sports/ci_22000433/nba-clippers-claim-another-victim?source=rss
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