Clippers at Heat
If the pattern holds, the Los Angeles Clippers are due for a loss when they continue their seven-game road trip by visiting the Miami Heat on Thursday. The Clippers, who cruised past Orlando to begin the trip on Wednesday, are battling through some inconsistency and have not put together back-to-back wins since the first two games. The Heat are operating at less than full capacity and guard Dwyane Wade (hamstring) is doubtful for Thursday.
Wade has missed the last three games and was limited in practice on Wednesday as Miami takes the conservative path with its 33-year-old star. The Heat did not need Wade or Luol Deng (wrist) in a 95-83 win at Brooklyn on Monday which snapped a three-game slide. Los Angeles should not be dealing with much fatigue despite the back-to-back as no one played more than 30 minutes in a 114-90 rout of the Magic, highlighted by a 12-of-21 effort from 3-point range.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, TNT, Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (6-4): Los Angeles got a big boost from its bench on Wednesday as Jamal Crawford, Jordan Farmar and Spencer Hawes combined for 45 points and went 7-of-9 from 3-point range. Crawford, who went 8-of-12 en route to a team-high 22 points against Orlando, is 18-of-29 over the last two games after falling into a 5-of-20 funk over the previous two contests and shooting better than 50 percent just once in the first eight games. Los Angeles has failed to reach 90 points in its last two losses while averaging 113.3 points in the last three wins.
ABOUT THE HEAT (6-5): Deng is not expected to play on Thursday but was capably replaced by Danny Granger and James Ennis on Monday, when the two combined for 14 points and eight rebounds. Mario Chalmers, who moved to the bench at the beginning of the season with Norris Cole taking over at the point, has been filling in for Wade and poured in a team-high 22 points against the Nets. Chalmers is averaging 21 points and seven assists in three games with Wade on the shelf.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Heat have taken three in a row in the series and six of 10.
2. Los Angeles G J.J. Redick is 6-of-24 from the field in the last three games.
3. Miami F Josh McRoberts (foot) is day-to-day.