The Los Angeles Clippers are looking to stay perfect at home in the early part of the season when they receive a visit from the Miami Heat on Monday.
The Clippers improved to 3-0 in their own building with a 126-124 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.
The Heat, in turn, will enter off a 130-120 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in their first of a back-to-back in Southern California.
Kawhi Leonard gave the Clippers their victory over the Pelicans when he fired off a pump-fake 20-foot jumper at the buzzer to break a late tie. Leonard finished with a season-high 34 points as he shot 11 of 16 (68.8%) from the floor and was 5 of 8 from 3-point range.
James Harden added 24 points for Los Angeles after going 4 of 13 from 3-point range, while producing a season-best 14 assists.
While the victory was satisfying, the Clippers were just as focused on squandering a 10-point fourth-quarter lead in a game they led by as many as 17 points. New Orleans shot 54.2% in the fourth quarter while scoring 40 points, eight more than Los Angeles had in the period on 61.1% shooting.
“I mean that’s one of the things we gotta get better at,” Leonard said about late-game defense. “We gotta be able to hold those leads. It shouldn’t come down to the last shot.”
Said Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue: “Just some breakdowns defensively. … And then offensively just taking care of the basketball, not turning the ball over so they can get out in transition and get easy baskets, especially down the stretch.”
The Heat pride themselves on easy baskets as they play short-handed early in the season. One of the top shooting teams in the NBA, Miami was 51.2% from the floor in the loss to the Lakers. They had 20 fast-break points and 66 points in the paint.
Los Angeles-area native Jaime Jaquez Jr. scored a season-high 31 points off the bench against the Lakers.
Miami still is awaiting the season debut of Tyler Herro (ankle), while Norman Powell (groin) has missed the past three games.
Powell could be in line to return to the court Monday against his former team. Powell, who played the previous three-plus seasons with the Clippers, was traded to the Heat in the offseason after thinking he was close to signing an extension to stay in Los Angeles.
If he plays Tuesday, it seems clear he will look to make a statement.
“I think it (stinks),” Powell said of the trade, according to the Miami Herald.
“I’d rather not say anything and just see what happens (on the court in L.A). Nothing is forever. Nothing is permanent until the ink is signed (on a potential contract extension), but yeah, it is what it is.”
Jaquez, a former UCLA standout like Powell, was 11 of 16 from the floor and went 9 of 13 from the free-throw line. Bam Adebayo and Pelle Larsson each scored 17 points with Adebayo adding eight rebounds.
The Heat trailed by as many as 18 against the Lakers before pulling within two points early in the fourth quarter.
