LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles Clippers were 3.3 seconds away from their first victory since their season opener exactly two weeks ago.
Instead, a defensive breakdown on the final inbound pass left Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson wide open for a corner three to put the Heat up 117-116 with one second left, leaving a deafening silence upon the Intuit Dome crowd.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
Miami Heat guard Klay Thompson (11) celebrates his game winner during an NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Wednesday November 4th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Unable to cash the desperation heave off the fingertips of guard Kobe Sanders, the Clippers have fallen to 1-7 on the season and extend their losing streak to seven games, already surpassing their longest skid from last season.
In a postgame press conference that lasted a mere three minutes, Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue kept it simple.
“We’re close, we’re just not finishing the game,” said Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue. “We played pretty well, good enough to win the game, it just didn’t go our way tonight.”
To make matters worse, the Clippers have now blown four leads this season of at least 11 points, and have now dropped consecutive games leading by 21 and 20.
In similar fashion to Monday’s loss to the Raptors, the Clippers led the majority of the game and did not surrender the lead until the 1:53 mark of the fourth quarter after leading with just under nine minutes left in the first half.
After a slow start in the first quarter the Clippers found themselves in familiar territory, going down by nine through the first 12 minutes and were held to under 25 points for already the fourth time in the first quarter this season.
Yet, it appeared the stars were aligning in the second quarter, as they went on an unreal 26-2 run just over the first six minutes. They nailed six of their nine triples during that stretch and finished the second quarter going 8-for-13 from beyond the arc, matching their most triples made in any quarter since New Year’s Day this past season.
The Heat, on the other hand, went cold in the second quarter, dropping just 19 points and going 1-for-9 from distance.
Rookie Guard Keaton Wagler scored nine of his 11 points in the first half, going a perfect 3-for-3 from deep that featured a near logo triple. Also off the bench in just his second game as a Clipper, guard Max Strus finished with 11 points and went 3-for-9 from deep, two of those coming in the second half.
Everything was seemingly falling into place for the Clippers, who saw all-around contributions from their first unit.
Rui Hachimura led the Clippers at the half with 17 points, providing a spark in the second quarter with his midrange jumpers while also getting to the line. Despite finishing with just 21 points, he deposited the second and final free throw in regulation to at least help force overtime after missing the first attempt.
Their veteran center Brook Lopez already had 12 points at halftime and had a resounding 7-0 personal run just inside the final seven minutes. That run also featured a special milestone when he made his second triple of the game for his 1,200th career three-point basket.
Of course, their number one option in Darius Garland, who had been struggling in his last two games and had just eight points at the half, provided that surge with his offense crumbling late in the game.
Garland does lead the league in turnovers per game, and his sixth turnover tonight led to a brief Miami 107-106 lead inside the final 11 seconds. Yet, he still came through in clutch moments.
He finished with 26 points on 10-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-6 from deep and scored all nine points in overtime to set the Clippers up for the victory.
Nico Alba - The Sporting Tribune
Los Angeles Clippers guard Darius Garland (10) makes a three pointer during an NBA basketball game against the Miami Heat, Wednesday November 4th, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
For the Heat, there offense was spearheaded by their top-three options.
Center Bam Adebayo, the franchises all-time double-double leader, finally notched his first one of the season finishing with season-high marks of 35 points and 10 rebounds. Through his innate ability to crash the glass and drive to the cup, he was an impossible task for the Clippers to guard all night.
Forward Giannis Antetokounmpo collected his fifth consecutive double-double and sixth of the season with 27 points and 14 rebounds after scoring just eight points with three field goals in the first half. The Greek Freak was unfazed at the line in the biggest moments, going 11-for-13 from the charity stripe after shooting under 62% coming into this one.
The biggest dagger of course came from their two-guard Thompson, who dropped a season-high 30 points and eight made triples, including the eventual game winner. He is now up to a team-leading 31 triples through his first eight games in South Beach.
“I’ve got to go back and look at it, said Lue.” “They attacked us in the paint, Klay got going and made some shots.”
The Heat found a second life in large part due to their sixth man off the bench in guard Davion Mitchell as well. He racked up his fourth double-double in points and assists already this season, finishing with 11 points and 10 assists along with four huge steals to set up the Heat in transition down the stretch.
Defeating the Clippers for the third consecutive game, the Heat improve to 42-34 all-time in the series and now have a winning record of 20-19 on the road.
In their most crushing defeat of the season, the Clippers will look to end their seven-game losing streak against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday and potentially salvage a victory in their three-game homestand.
“We understand what the problem is as far as turning the basketball over, allowing teams to get out in transition,” said Lue. “Shooting good from the field, shooting good from three, we’ve just got to be strong with the basketball and continue to learn from our mistakes.”
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.