Miami Heat-Los Angeles Clippers Preview: Can Heat Win Third Straight?

What to look for in the Miami Heat’s Sunday night home game against the powerhouse Los Angeles Clippers

After losing seven consecutive games, the Miami Heat have won two straight. Friday night’s result was promising (albeit against the Washington Wizards), but the Heat face much stiffer competition tonight.

The Los Angeles Clippers are only one game back of the Western Conference’s top seed, winning 10 of their last 12 games.

Previous Matchups

The Clippers won the first meeting 121-104 on New Year's Day in Los Angeles. The Jimmy Butler-less Heat put up a fight but ran out of gas, falling behind by 20 points in the fourth quarter.

The Heat’s bright spot was their big men. Bam Adebayo accounted for 21 points and 15 rebounds and Kevin Love added 17 points off the bench. Tyler Herro was subpar, scoring 12 points on 4 of 13 shooting. Herro posted a team-worst -29 plus/minus in 35 minutes.

For the Clippers, usual suspects Kawhi Leonard and Paul George scored 24 and 23 points, respectively. The surprise of the night, however, was Norman Powell. The veteran guard had 22 points off the bench, shooting 9 of 11 and 4 of 5 from the arc.

Opposing Players to Watch

The Clippers have the most individually accomplished quartet of players in the NBA.

Over their careers, Leonard, George, James Harden and Russell Westbrook have combined for 34 All-Star Game appearances, five scoring titles, two MVPs and two Finals MVPs.

Recently named 2024 All-Stars Leonard and George lead the offense. Leonard is averaging 24.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 53 percent and 45 percent from three. George is averaging 22.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, shooting 46.4 percent and 41.2 percent from three.

Harden and Westbrook are complementary pieces at this point in their careers, averaging 16.9 and 11.6 points, respectively. Harden leads the team with 8.5 assists per game, fifth in the NBA.

Key Matchup

James Harden vs. Tyler Herro

Assuming the top two players on each team (Leonard and George for L.A, Butler and Adebayo for Miami) all produce, this game could hinge on the third wheels.

Herro has struggled over his last four games, shooting 34.4 percent. His 42.9 percent shooting for the season is the worst since his rookie year. 

Harden is shooting 25 percent in his last four games. The former MVP enters tonight’s game fresh off a four-point performance against the Detroit Pistons, shooting 1 of 10 from the field.

Herro and Harden are better players than their recent numbers suggest. It will be interesting to see which one breaks his slump.

Heat vs. Wizards Takeaways: Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier Display Lack Of Efficiency In Narrow Victory

Nick Crandell is a staff contributor at Inside the Heat.

He can be reached at nick.crandell33@gmail.com or follow him on Instagram @nickcrandell

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