The Miami Heat will be visiting the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center tonight. It's the only meeting this season between the two teams. For the Heat, This is the fourth game of a five game roadtrip. They won a triple overtime affair against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, 116-109 before handily defeating the New Jersey Nets on Saturday, 101-90. Last night, they lost to the Golden State Warriors, 111-106 in overtime. After tonight's game, they go on to play the Denver Nuggets on Friday before returning home for a five game homestand. The Clippers will be playing in the first game of a three game homestand. They will "host" the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday and the New Jersey Nets on Monday.
The two teams last met on February 6, 2011. Miami posted a 97-79 victory that night, as Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 28 points, eight assists and eight rebounds. Chris Bosh scored 16 with seven boards and Eddie House scored 15, including three 3-pointers. Blake Griffin led four Clippers in double figures with 21 points and 16 rebounds.
Miami Heat vs Los Angeles Clippers (97 - 79) February 6, 2011 (via HeatTeo)
Miami dropped a 111-106 overtime decision late last night to the Golden State Warriors. Dwyane Wade led the Heat with 34 points. LeBron James added a double double, scoring 26 points and 11 rebounds to go with seven assists. Udonis Haslem grabbed nine rebounds in the losing effort. Nate Robinson led the Warriors with 24 points and David Lee pitched in 20 points and 14 rebounds.
NBA CIRCLE - Miami Heat Vs Golden State Warriors Highlights Jan 10, 2012 Game Recap (via NBACIRCLE)
The Clippers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers, 105-97 last night. Caron Butler scored 20 and Blake Griffin scored 18 with 12 rebounds in a losing effort. Gerald Wallace led five Portland players in double figures with 20.
NBA CIRCLE - LA Clippers Vs Portland Trail Blazers Highlights Jan 10, 2012 Game Recap (via NBACIRCLE)
Game Time: 10:30 EST
Season Series: 0-0
All-Time Series: 29-17
Standings:
Miami Heat: 8-2, first in the Southeast Division, second in the Eastern Conference, third in the NBA.
Los Angeles Clippers: 4-3, second in the Pacific Division, seventh in the Western Conference, 13th in the NBA.
Starting Lineups:
Miami Heat:
SG - Dwyane Wade
SF - LeBron James
PF - Chris Bosh
C - Joel Anthony
Los Angeles Clippers:
PG - Chris Paul
SG - Chauncey Billups
SF - Caron Butler
PF - Blake Griffin
C - DeAndre Jordan
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Common Thread:
Clippers starting small forward Caron Butler played 146 games, spending his first two NBA seasons with the Heat. He averaged 13 points, five rebounds and two assists in 33 minutes per game for Miami.
Team Milestones:
James Jones needs three more 3-pointers to pass Jamal Mashburn into 14th with 211.
Chris Bosh needs 10 more free throws to pass John Salley into 20th, with 433.
With four more assists, Udonis Haslem will pass Rony Seikaly, with 574. Five more blocks will put him in 11th with 185, passing Brian Grant.
Team Leaders:
PPG:
LeBron James, 29.7
Dwyane Wade, 21.0
Chris Bosh, 19.7
RPG:
Udonis Haslem, 10.3
LeBron James, 8.0
Chris Bosh, 7.8
APG:
LeBron James, 7.6
Dwyane Wade, 5.9
Mario Chalmers, 4.4
SPG:
LeBron James, Mario Chalmers, 2.0
Dwyane Wade, 1.9
BPG:
Dwyane Wade, 1.9
Chris Bosh, 1.0
LeBron James, 0.8