Clippers Demolish Heat Behind Strong Efforts From Key Players

Chris Paul dismantled the Miami Heat defense to give the Clippers their tenth straight victory.

On paper, this was the game that should have ended the Clippers win-streak.  Shortly before tip-off, it was announced that DeAndre Jordan would not be playing and Blake Griffin is still a ways off from returning.

If that wasn’t enough, the Miami Heat are one of the up-start teams in the Eastern Conference.

At half-time, it appeared that the Clippers were simply outgunned as the Heat were up by seven after being in double-digits in the second.

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Instead, the Clippers went for a complete swing to open the third as they raced out to their own double-digit lead and never looked back.  The team led for the entire fourth quarter and had widened the margin to as many as 20 points in the final period.

The victory is the Clippers first over the Heat at the Staples Center in six games.

A great catalyst was the efficient Chris Paul who has been making his case for the All Star game by elevating his play in the absence of Griffin.

Paul had 15 points and 12 assists to go along with 6 rebounds.

Several of those assists were to back-up center Cole Aldrich who started in the place of the ill Jordan.  Aldrich led both teams with 19 points and 7 rebounds.  Aldrich was 50% from the field and was a respectable 5-7 from the free-throw line.

The absence of Jordan notably ends his streak of 360 consecutive games played, the longest among active NBA players.

Paul Pierce and Jamal Crawford had 15 points each while J.J. Redick had 12 points to round out the stat sheet.

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The Miami Heat were without Goran Dragic and saw a poor shooting night from Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.  Wade finished the night with 16 points while Bosh had 11.

Gerald Green led Miami with 19 points and two rebounds, five less than Aldrich.

Hassan Whiteside had a double-double off the bench with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Barring a drastic decrease in his level of play, Chris Paul continues to make his case as the most deserving back-up guard for next months All Star game.

Paul is currently in third place behind Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook by a wide margin and likely will not start for the West.  The reserves, however, are chosen by the coaches and Paul looks to be the most obvious choice at this point in the season.

With the win, the Clippers have now won ten-straight games going back to Christmas Day.  The stretch gives them great momentum as they face the Kings next on Saturday and the Rockets on Monday.

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Both teams are poised for a playoff run and will test the undermanned Clippers.

The biggest game however, will be played next Thursday on national television as they go on the road to face the Cleveland Cavaliers.