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Vincent, staring in place of point guard Kyle Lowry -- who
missed his sixth straight game due to personal reasons -- scored
23 points. He shot 7-for-12 from long range for the game.
Butler, playing with a sore left foot, added six rebounds and a
game-high nine assists for the Heat, who have the best home
record in the Eastern Conference (18-5). Miami also has the best
overall ledger in the East (32-17).
Heat center Bam Adebayo added 20 points and a game-high 12
rebounds.
The victory was Miami's first over the Clippers since Dec. 8,
2018, breaking a six-game losing streak in the series.
Luke Kennard led the Clippers with 23 points, including 16 in
the fourth quarter. Eric Bledsoe added 19 points, and Justise
Winslow contributed 10 points and 10 rebounds.
The Clippers, who came back to win three games in the past 2 1/2
weeks after trailing by at least 24 points, couldn't perform
that feat again. They fell behind by 23 in the third quarter but
only got as close as four points with 33.9 seconds left.
The Heat struggled early, missing their first five shots and
turning the ball over twice. However, Miami recovered to hold a
28-19 edge at the end of the first quarter, limiting the
Clippers to 30.4 percent shooting.
Miami stretched its lead to 57-45 at halftime. For the half, the
Clippers shot just 35.7 percent, including 2-for-16 on 3-point
attempts. Butler led both teams with 16 first-half points as
Miami shot 44.4 percent from the floor.
The Heat stretched their lead to 85-62 in the third quarter
before settling for a 96-80 advantage headed to the fourth.
Los Angeles cut its deficit to 117-113 in the final minute, but
Butler made four free throws in the last 29 seconds to secure
Miami's win.
For the game, Miami had a 51-37 rebounding edge, and the Heat
shot 15-for-34 on 3-point attempts while holding the Clippers to
9-for-35 shooting from long distance.
--Field Level Media
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