Clippers Win Against Heat Without Their Stars
By: Ryan Ramirez
Courtesy of NBA.com
The Los Angeles Clippers faced a challenge on Feb. 15 when they went up against the defending Eastern Conference Champions Miami Heat without 4 of their starters, including Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The rest of the Clippers were able to step it up from their original roles, with Marcus Morris Sr. leading the way with a season-high thirty-two points in twenty-six minutes, followed by Ivica Zubac scoring twenty-two points with 8 rebounds, and Lou Williams with eighteen points and 10 assists. The team as a whole shot 55% from the field and 46% from the three-point line, while holding the Heat to just 22% from the three.
When asked about how the team was able to pull through with the win, Zubac said,
"Everyone showed up, everyone did their part. We stuck to our game plan and we got away with a win.”
The Clippers’ young players also got to step up and shine in the game. Terrance Mann and Amir Coffey both scored fifteen points. Coffey had just come back from the G League, the NBA's minor league organization, just a few days prior to this game, where in his last game he had scored fourteen three-point shots.
“When you're short-handed, you really find out what your team is made of,” said Terrance Mann. “It brings your team closer.”
The Clippers' chemistry did not seem to be altered at all due to them missing their starters, with the team having thirty-one assists for the second straight game, something the Clippers franchise has not achieved since Dec. of 2014.
“Sharing the basketball, getting into the paint, and making a play for your teammate, we did it all night long,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “It’s fun playing that way.”
The Clippers had a great game and came away with the win, but it did not come without a challenge. The Miami Heat were led by their star Jimmy Butler, who had a triple-double with thirty points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists. Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro also chipped in for the heat, both scoring twenty-seven points.
“I'm not going to say we gave one away, we didn’t deserve to win,” Butler said. “We weren't protecting the paint or rotating or running them off the line to make them miss. They were just comfortable the whole game.”
Both teams fought hard for the win, but in the end, the Clippers were able to show the NBA world that they should not be taken lightly even when they are missing their alphas.