Sporting Alert

College Football, NCAAB, NBA, NFL

Miami Heat

Simmons Flirted With Triple-Double, Sixers Roll Past Heat In Game 1

by Leave a Comment

PHILADELPHIA — Ben Simmons just missed collecting yet another triple-double this season, as the Philadelphia 76ers hammered the Miami Heat 130-103 in Game 1 of their playoff first-round series on Saturday night to extend their undefeated streak.

JJ Redick scored 28 points and reserve Marco Belinelli added 25 to lead the Sixers, but it was rookie Simmons, who stole the show in his NBA playoff debut.

The star guard collected 17 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds for Philadephia, which played without leading big man Joel Embiid.

Ersan Ilyasova had 17 points and 14 rebounds off the bench for the 76ers, who were winning their 17th straight game and had 34 assists on 45 made field goals.

Toronto Raptors Beat Washington Wizards 114-106 In Game 1

It was the Sixers’ first playoff game in five seasons under coach Brett Brown.

Kelly Olynyk led the Miami Heat with 26 points.

Goran Dragic, returning to the starting lineup after missing the final regular season game with a sore knee scored 15 points for Miami, while James Johnson finished with 13.

Thompson, Durant Help Warriors Beat Spurs In Playoff Game 1: Highlights

Fourteen-year veteran Dwyane Wade had 11 points in 19 minutes off the bench.

Game 2 in this series is on Monday night, again in Philadelphia.

Game Information

Miami Heat v Chicago Bulls Preview, TV Channel, Game Time

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL — Miami Heat will look to preserve their 2018 NBA playoff status when they stay home to host the Chicago Bulls at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday night.

Tip-off for this game is set for 7:30 PM ET and live coverage will be on FOX Sports SUN and streaming on the Fox Sports Go App and online.

The Heat (40-35) are 23-13 at home this season and are coming off an impressive one way 98-79 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday night.

Another win for the returning Dwyane Wade and Co. would keep them in seventh place in the Eastern Conference Standings – away from the Milwaukee Bucks and close to sixth place Washington Wizards.

Meanwhile, the Bulls (24-50) are already out of the runnings for a playoff spot this season and have also been struggling with recent form.

In their last outing, Chicago suffered a 118-86 defeat to the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night.

The Bulls, who have lost 28 of its 37 games away from home this season, have also dropped six straight and eight of the last games overall.

These two teams have met three times so far this campaign with the Heat leading the current series 2-1 after winning the pair of openers.

However, when they last met in early January, Chicago beat Miami 119-111 to snap the Heat’s seven-game winning streak at that time.

Goran Dragic leads nine Miami players scoring in double-digits this season at an average of 17.4 points per game.

Big man Hassan Whiteside, who has missed nine games straight, is averaging a double-double with 14.3 points and 11.8 rebounds this season.

Whiteside missed the last nine games with a hip bother, but went through practice on Wednesday and is now listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, according to the Palm Beach Post.

“We’ll see [if he plays Thursday]. He’s put in quite a few days of good work,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra to to the Miami Herald.

“This was his first real court work and competitive live work and we’ll just have to see how he feels [Thursday] and take the next step.”

Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets: NBA Preseason on NBATV

by Leave a Comment

BROOKLYN, NY, Sporting Alert — The Miami Heat continue preseason preparation on Thursday night against fellow Eastern Conference outfits Brooklyn Nets.

Game time from Barclays Center is set for 7:30 pm ET and live coverage is on NBATV and Fox Sports Sun.

Miami, still in its rebuilding process, defeated the Atlanta Hawks 96-90 at AmericanAirlines Arena in its opening NBA preseason fixture, with coach Erik Spoelstra using the time to have a look at the major part of his squad.

Tyler Johnson and Josh Richardson among the three players who scored in double figures, with swingman Rodney McGruder, who shot 4-of-6 from the field, also finishing in double digits.

Spoelstra is expected to mix things up once again on Thursday night and could even increase the minutes of the likes of Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside after the pair featured for less than 20 minutes each in Game 1.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn tagged the New York Knicks 115-107 at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.

Debutant D’Angelo Russell was the star performer on the night for Nets, who shot 50-percent from 3-point range.

Russell, the former Los Angeles Lakers point guard finished with 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting to go with four assists, two rebounds and two steals in 20 minutes for Brooklyn.

A total of six Nets players scored in double figures against the Knicks and the defense held the home side to under 40-percent shooting from the floor.

Miami Heat at Brooklyn Nets: Live On NBATV @ 7:30 PM ET

Updated NBA Scores And Results From Nov. 10 Games

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – The latest and most updated NBA scores and results from the games that took place in the league on Thursday night.

Wade Makes Winning Return In Miami

Embed from Getty Images

Dwayne Wade came out on top in an emotional return to Miami Thursday after he helped the Chicago Bulls hold on for a 98-95 win over the Heat.

The veteran guard who played 13 seasons in Miami and won three NBA titles, was warmly received by the home fans, while the Heat put together a video highlight of some of his most memorable moment with the club and played it during the game’s first timeout.

Wade ended the night with 13 points, seven rebounds and four assists, although he shot just 5 of 17 from the floor and went 0 of 4 from 3-point range.

”I thought I’d shoot better, since I’ve been knowing these rims for a while,” Wade said.

He added that this was “the weirdest basketball game I ever played in my life.”

Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg told TNT reporters: “I can only imagine what he was going through today. A lot of emotions coming back here.”

Jimmy Butler had 20 points, five assists and three steals, Rajon Rondo finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and two steals and Robin Lopez added 16 points and nine boards for Chicago (5-4).

Hassan Whiteside led Miami with a double-double of 20 points and 20 rebounds to go with his three blocks.

Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson each scored 16 points and Justise Winslow ended with 15 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals for the Heat (2-5), who had to finish the game without point guard Goran Dragic, who sprained his left ankle in the third quarter.

Tyler Johnson added 14 points and eight boards for Miami, which dropped three in a row and five of the last six games.

Curry, Warriors Dominated Nuggets; Durant Streak Ends

In two other updated NBA scores on the night, the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers both picked up victories.

At the Pepsi Center in Colorado, Stephen Curry scored 33 points and buried seven 3-pointers and the Warriors crushed the Denver Nuggets 125-101.

Curry, who shot 10 of 17 from the floor overall, also dished out seven assists and grabbed five rebounds.

On the same night, though, Kevin Durant saw his impressive scoring streak of putting up at least 20 points in regular-season games snapped at 72 after the forward finished with 18 points.

Durant was pulled from the game by coach Steve Kerr with 5:51 left.

”It was cool while it lasted,” said Durant, whose streak started towards the end of last November, while he was still with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

”Up there with some great names. But I’ve got bigger goals in mind.”

Stephen Curry
Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors

Klay Thompson scored 19 points, Draymond Green finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals for Golden State, which shot 54.1 percent from the floor.

Rookie Jamal Murray had 14 points and six assists off the bench for the Nuggets.

LA Lakers Comeback Win.

In the meantime, the Los Angeles Lakers rallied from a 19 point deficit to beat the Sacramento Kings 101-91 in another updated NBA score on the night.

Lou Williams scored 13 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, D’Angelo Russell finished 17, Nick Young scored 16 and Julius Randle added 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the win for the Lakers (5-4), who have now won four of the last five games.

The Lakers outscored the Kings 56-36 in the second half.

“It was nice to fight like that and get a win on the road,” Lakers coach Luke Walton said.

DeMarcus Cousins finished with 28 points and nine rebounds to lead the way for Sacramento (4-6), which twice led by 19 points.

Thursday, November 10
Updated NBA Scores

Chicago Bulls 98, Miami Heat 95
Golden State Warriors 125, Denver Nuggets 101
Los Angeles Lakers 101, Sacramento Kings 91
New Orleans Pelicans 112, Milwaukee Bucks 106

Wade, Bulls Face Heat Live On TNT Overtime

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, Sporting Alert – Dwayne Wade will make his first appearance in Miami since leaving in the offseason when the Chicago Bulls visit the Heat live on TNT and TNT Overtime on Thursday night.

Tip-off time for this NBA game is set for 8:00pm ET.

Wade played his first 13 seasons in the NBA for the Heat before an unsuccessful negotiation over a new deal led to him leaving the franchise.

The veteran guard is off to a promising start with Bulls, averaging 17.9 points, 4.0 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game in a little over 22-minutes per contest, while shooting a career-high 42.9 percent from 3-point range.

Wade, who will play his 525th game at AmericanAirlines Arena, including the playoffs, says the decision to leave Miami was disappointing but admitted he’s now moved forward.

The three-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat and the 12-time NBA All-Star, revealed that he’s looking forward to playing at the AmericanAirlines Arena again.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Wade told ESPN after scoring 25 points in the win against the Orlando Magic on Monday night.

“I’m looking forward to playing in the environment I played in for 13 years and competing against guys I’ve played with and have relationships with.”

It is understood Miami has put together video highlights of Wade’s career with the Heat, which will be shown during the game’s first timeout.

“I’ll definitely be appreciative of that moment,” he revealed on ESPN. “It will be cool to see the love and support and people being thankful for what I did.

“Unless you are just cold-blooded, you are going to feel something.

“But it’s not like a retirement ceremony where I will have a chance to be real emotional. I’m trying to beat their butt.”

Wade and Bulls (4-4) will take on a new-look Heat (2-4) side that is off to a rough start after losing back-to-back games heading into this clash and dropped four of the past five.

Hassan Whiteside enters this game averaging 17.5 points, 13.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game.

The big centre, however, was held to just five points in the loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, although he had 12 rebounds and blocked two shots in the defeat.

Point guard Goran Dragic is averaging 18.0 points and 6.2 assists per game this season and Miami will be hoping the veteran point guard can link up with the likes of Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and Justise Winslow and help the Heat spoil Wade’s return.

NBA Conference Standings 2016-17

by Leave a Comment

The National Basketball Associate (NBA) league is up and running in this the new 2016-17 season and there will be lots of things to look forward to this season.

LATEST STATISTIC AND PLAYER STATS

The return of LeBron James to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are the defending champions, have made them one of the teams to watch again this season in the hunt for back-to-back titles. In fact, ESPN Power Rankings for preseason has listed them above the Golden State Warriors at No. 1.

There are several other title contenders and playoff prospects in this year’s competition, including the new look Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Warriors of course with the addition of Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, even without Durant and the Toronto Raptors.

Here is where you can keep up with all the statistics as they unfold. Following what team leads their conference and division, as well as overall records.

See stats which includes things such games, won, loss, conference standings in addition to teams current win streak and much, much more.

The NBA season is shaping to be one of the most competitive ones in a long time and you don’t want to miss all the details.

LATEST STATISTIC AND PLAYER STATS

NBA Preseason Scores On Oct. 11: Wins For Miami, Dallas

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – The Miami Heat outscored the Brooklyn Nets 38-17 in the third quarter on their way to setting up a 121-100 victory in an NBA preseason game Tuesday night.

Hassan Whiteside collected a double-double of 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting and 14 rebounds to lead the way for the Heat at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

The talented center who also made 3-of-4 free throws, also finished the game with four blocks.

Point guard Goran Dragic had preseason-highs 17 points, 11 assists and four rebounds, while Wayne Ellington scored 14 points on 50-percent shooting to help set up the victory for Miami.

Tyler Johnson added 14 points off the bench, Dion Waiters scored 12 in a reserve role, while Derrick Williams ended with 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks for the Heat, who rebounded from the 109-100 loss to the Timberwolves the last time out.

Jeremy Lin set the pace for the Nets with 16 points, five assists and three rebounds with Bojan Bogdanovic adding 13 points in the defeat.

Luis Scola finished with 12 points, six rebounds, three assists two steals and Justin Hamilton had 12 points for Brooklyn, which led 59-55 at halftime.

The Heat paid tribute to former Miami Marlins’ pitcher Jose Fernandez, who fell to the tragic and untimely death last month.

All the players wore warmup shirts with Fernandez’s initials and No. 16 on them before tip-off.

Also on the night, Troy Williams scored 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds in guiding the Memphis Grizzlies to a 121-91 NBA preseason win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Williams went 8-of-13 from the floor and knocked down two of his three 3-point attempts in his 27 minutes off the bench.

Mike Conley added 17 points and six assists, Zach Randolph finished with 17 points and eight boards off the bench and James Ennis ended with 15 points for Memphis.

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot tallied 13 points and nine rebounds and Joel Embiid added 13 points in the defeat for the Grizzlies.

In another NBA preseason season battle, the Dallas Mavericks build a big lead and then held off the Oklahoma City Thunder, 114-109, while the Los Angeles Lakers went down 109-106 in overtime to the Portland Trail Blazers in the late tip-off.

NBA PRESEASON SCORES
Tuesday, October 11

Dallas 114, Oklahoma City 109
Miami 121, Brooklyn 100
Memphis 121, Philadelphia 91
Portland 109, Los Angeles Lakers 106 (OT)

Wade: “It Wasn’t Easy” As He Reportedly Leaves Heat For Bulls

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, Sporting Alert – It wasn’t easy, but free agent Dwyane Wade has informed the Chicago Bulls that he plans to sign wit them, ESPN, the Associated Press and multiple other sources are reporting Wednesday night.

In fact, ESPN reported that Wade, who spent 13 seasons playing for the Miami Heat and won three titles, including two with LeBron James, reportedly said, although it was tough, he is confident he made the right choice.

“This was not an easy decision,” Associated Press quoted Wade as saying, “but I feel I have made the right choice.”

“Watching the Bulls growing up inspired me at an early age to pursue my dream of becoming a basketball player,” the AP report added.

“My most treasured memories were watching my dad play basketball on the courts of Fermi Elementary School and developing my game at the Blue Island Recreation Center.

“I have never forgotten where I came from and I am thankful to have an opportunity to play for the team that first fueled my love of the game.”

The star shooting guard is set to return to play for his hometown Bulls, ESPN sources are saying on Wednesday night.

It is understood Wade and the Miami Heat failed to come to an agreement on a deal.

According to the Associated Press, Wade has agreed to a two-year deal worth $47 million, three million less than what he was asking from Miami, which had offered the 34-year-old a two-year, $40 million deal.

ESPN is reporting that the Bulls will clear cap space to accommodate for Wade by trading veteran point guard Jose Calderon to the LA Lakers and small forward Mike Dunleavy to the Cavaliers.

Deng Guides Dominant Heat Past Hornets: Game 1

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, Sporting Alert – The Miami Heat used a record first quarter to get their 2016 playoffs campaign off to a flying start. Box Score

“I liked the energy tonight. We just have to get rested and get ready for Game 2,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said.

A streaking Luol Deng, who started 6 of 6 from the field and scored 14 points in the opening quarter of the game, end with 31 points in a very productive NBA playoff debut with Miami to lead the Heat to a dominating 123-91 victory over the Charlotte Hornets in their series opener on Sunday.

Deng, who helped Miami tied a franchise playoff record for points scored in any quarter, following the team’s 41 first-quarter outing, shot 11 of 13 from the floor overall, including 4 of 6 from 3-pointers to deliver his best performance in a Miami Heat shirt while setting a club record for a player on postseason debut.

The former Chicago Bulls forward also pulled down seven rebounds in his 1st #WhiteHot playoff game.

“I hated Lu for a long time. I think I just started liking him two months ago,” Dwyane Wade said of Deng.

Luol said: “As an opponent (in Chicago) I used to come in here & see all of the white, it was unbelievable. Now I’m happy to have it on my side.”

Hassan Whiteside, making his playoff debut, continued his impressive form this season by adding 21 points, 11 rebounds and blocked three shots for Miami, which set a playoffs opener franchise record for points.

“It was amazing,” he said. “I really felt at home. With my last name being Whiteside I really loved seeing all the white.”

The star center warns against getting too carried away after the blowout.

“We can’t get too high on this game,” Whiteside said. “They’re going back to the drawing board and I expect them to make adjustments.”

Wade echoed: “This was 1 game. You enjoy it in the moment but tomorrow we have to forget about it and prepare for Game 2.”

The final points total topped the 121 the team scored in the deciding game of the 2012 NBA Finals against Oklahoma City.

The Heat also knocked down a franchise playoff record 49 field goals, as Wade finished with 16 points and seven assists, and Joe Johnson and Amar’e Stoudemire each scored 11 points in the win for the Eastern Conference No. 3 seed.

Goran Dragic ended with 10 assists in the win.

Doreen Wright, back with Miami, after a very good stint playing abroad, scored eight quick points on 3 of 3 shooting, including knocking down two 3-pointers in his four-minutes of action in the fourth quarter.

Nicolas Batum paced the Hornets with 24 points, 20 of which came in the first half, and Kemba Walker, playing in his fifth career playoff game, which all came in defeats against the Heat, added 19 points for Charlotte, which never led in the game and trailed by as many as 34 points.

Game 2 of this NBA Eastern Conference series will be in Miami again on Wednesday night.

Curry, Leads Warriors Past Battling Heat, 118-112

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson combined to score 75 points and the Golden State Warriors beat the Miami Heat 118-112 in an NBA game on Wednesday night. Download Game Box Score

Curry, who made the go-ahead 3-pointer with 38 seconds left after Hassan Whiteside blocked a long-range attempt by Draymond Green — scored 42 points, grabbed seven rebounds and seven assists and Thompson added 33 points, including 17 in the fourth quarter, and had four steals for the Warriors (51-5), who won three straight.

Harrison Barnes scored 11 points and five rebounds and Draymond Green ended with 10 points and 11 boards for Golden State, which shot 46.7 percent from the floor and 46.4 percent from 3-point range.

Dwyane Wade paced the Heat with 32 points and seven assists, Hassan Whiteside collected 21 points and 13 rebounds and Luol Deng finished with 16 points and 11 boards for Miami (32-25), which had won its previous three games.

Reserve point guard Josh Richardson hit three 3-pointers and went 5-of-6 from the floor overall en route to adding 15 points off the bench and Goran Dragic had 13 points and seven assists for the Heat, who got 10 rebounds from rookie Justise Winslow.

As a team. the Miami Heat shot 46.5 percent from the floor on 40-of-86 shooting, while going 42.9 percent from long-range.

Miami shot 50 percent in the first half and led 55-51.

However, Curry and Warriors rallied in the second quarter to shoot 57 percent from long range and 51 percent from the floor overall to improve their NBA-best record this season.

The reigning MVP had 10 points in the final 1:06 of the game for the defending champions.

Curry hit six 3-pointers on Wednesday night and tied the NBA record for making a 3-pointer in 127 straight games.

Golden State is chasing the all-time regular season NBA record of 72-10, which was set by the Chicago Bulls in the 1995-96 campaign.

Meanwhile, Anderson Varejao, who came over from the Cleveland Cavaliers, made his debut for the Warriors on Wednesday night.

He went 0-of-2 from the floor and scored one point and grabbing three rebounds in 10 minutes.

The Golden State Warriors will next visit the Orlando Magic in a back-to-back fixture on Thursday.

Miami Heat, who are 6-4 in the last 10 games, are off until they visit the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

The sit fourth in the Eastern Conference standings behind the Cavaliers, while Curry and Golden are controlling things in the Western Conference.

Confident Miami Heat Host Warriors; NBA Schedule Feb. 24

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat welcome the Golden State Warriors at the AmericanAirlines Arena on Wednesday night.

The Warriors (50-5) head into this road game as eight-point favourites and seek their third straight win.

Miami (32-24), in the meantime, has won three games in a row and is coming off a battling 101-93 overtime win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night.

In the victory over the Pacers, point guard Goran Dragic scored 24 points and Hassan Whiteside continued his impressive showing this season with another balanced outing of 19 points, 18 rebounds and six blocks for the Heat, who remain without Chris Bosh because of health reasons.

But it wasn’t a very good shooting night for Wade, despite scoring 16 points, after the All-Star guard went just 4-for-21 from the field, and got half of his total points from free throws.

Golden State had to work hard for their victory over the Atlanta Hawks as well, this after blowing a 23-point lead and left it late in the fourth quarter.

Reigning MVP and the NBA leading scorer Stephen Curry scored 36 points for the Warriors, who became the fastest team in NBA history to reach 50 wins.

Miami isn’t expected to be able to matchup with Golden State in the scoring department, so head coach Erik Spoelstra is hoping his team’s defense, which is ranked second in the NBA this season, will be enough to pull off an unlikely upset at home.

The Warriors have dropped only five games this entire campaign, but all five defeats have come on the road where they have a 26-5 record.

Last time these two teams met on Jan 11, Curry scored 31 points and the defending champions took a 111-103 victory.

Curry comes into the matchup averaging 29.8 points, 6.6 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game and shooting 50.8 percent from the field. He is also shooting 45.5 percent from 3-point range.

But besides Curry, the Miami Heat will need to keep a very close eye on the likes of Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.

The home side has some weapon of its own as well, but it will take a complete team effort to keep the traveling party quiet Wednesday night.

Nine other NBA games are on the schedule for Wednesday night.

Full NBA Schedule
Wednesday, February 24

Charlotte at Cleveland 7:00 PM FSOH
New York at Indiana 7:00 PM MSG FSMW
Philadelphia at Detroit 7:30 PM CSN FSDT
Golden State at Miami 7:30 PM CSNB SUN
Minnesota at Toronto 7:30 PM FSN TSN2
Washington at Chicago 8:00 PM ESPN, WatchESPN, CSNB, CSNC
Los Angeles Lakers at Memphis 8:00 PM TWC SN
Oklahoma City at Dallas 8:30 PM FSOK FSSW
Denver at  Los Angeles Clippers 10:30 PM ALT FSW2
San Antonio at Sacramento 10:30 PM ESPN, WatchESPN, KENS, CSAC

Paul Scores 22, Leads LA Clippers Past Miami, 100-93

by Leave a Comment

MIAMI, FL, Sporting Alert – Chris Paul recovered from a dreadful start to score 22 points and lead the Los Angeles Clippers to a 100-93 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA on Sunday. Box score

Paul, who scored just seven points in the first half on 2 for 13 shooting, went 6 for 10 in the second half to lead the way for the Clippers (34-17), who won two straight on the road and improved to 17-9 away from Staples Center.

The All-Star point guard started 0 for 9, but he never thought about stop shooting the ball.

“I kept shooting it (the ball) because sooner or later it had to go in. Just tried to stay aggressive,” Paul said, who also finished with seven assists.

Jamal Crawford continued his strong scoring form this season by adding 20 points off the bench, while J.J. Redick ended with 14 points in the win for the LA Clippers, who shot 45.7 percent from the floor and forced 13 turnovers.

Reserve forward Wesley Johnson had 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench, DeAndre Jordan went 3 for 4 from the floor, including a couple of dunks off passes from Paul and Crawford to end with nine points, 11 rebounds and three blocks, while Cole Aldrich pulled down 11 boards for Los Angeles.

The Clippers continue to be without star forward Blake Griffin, who recently underwent a second surgery on his broken hand while backup guard Austin Rivers will miss four to six weeks with a broken left hand the team is reporting.

“That was a team win because nobody really had it going,” said Clippers coach Doc Rivers. “But our defense really had it going all game.”

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic all scored 17 points for the Miami Heat, who had won two straight heading into this game.

“They made big plays down the stretch,” Wade said. “That’s the way we’ve been winning of late, so we can’t be mad at that.

“We got a little taste of our own medicine.”

Dragic also dished out five assists and five rebounds, while Bosh also ended with five boards in the defeats.

Luol Deng shot 5 for 9 from the floor to add 15 points and eight rebounds, with Hassan Whiteside pulling in a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Heat (29-23).

After going behind by 12 points, the Heat managed to pull within three points, at 86-83 with 4:33 left in the game, but back-to-back 3-pointers from Paul and then another by Crawford with 1:49 left, took the game away from Miami.

The LA Clippers return to action on Monday at the Philadelphia 76ers, while the Heat will host the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday.