Heat at Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers look to bounce back from their most dismal offensive effort of the season when they host the Miami Heat on Saturday. Los Angeles recorded a season worst for points, shot just 33.8 percent and committed 19 turnovers in Wednesday's 96-86 loss to Memphis.
The Clippers had won 12 of their previous 14 games before the poor showing against the Grizzlies in which leading scorer Tobias Harris (21 points per game) scored just seven points on 2-of-13 shooting. "It was the Grizzlies," coach Doc Rivers told reporters of the anemic effort. "They just defended us well. This is the first night that I can say that we got our butts kicked." Miami opened its six-game road trip with a 115-98 victory over Phoenix - its fifth win in 14 contests. Bam Adebayo scored a career-high 22 points and Justise Winslow was 4-for-4 from 3-point range while recording a season-best 20 points.
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, FS Sun (Miami), Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE HEAT (10-14): Goran Dragic (knee) returned against the Suns after missing the previous eight games and posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists. Coach Erik Spoelstra doesn't want to push it and will hold Dragic out against the Clippers, but he cited the lift his squad received from the standout point guard. "We looked like a totally different team," Spoelstra told reporters. "When your All-Star is healthy and able to get on the wood, we got 21 quality minutes. Was about to put him back in there at the end but didn't have to."
ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (16-8): Rookie point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is off to a solid start as he is averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and three assists per game. The 20-year-old has found value in the fact that Rivers and assistant coach Sam Cassell both were standout point guards in the NBA. "His biggest thing is just me learning every day and getting better," Gilgeous-Alexander told the Los Angeles Times of Rivers. "As long as I do that, I'll be good. With him and Sam in my ear every day, I have no choice."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Heat won both of last season's meetings after the Clippers prevailed in the previous four matchups.
2. Los Angeles SG Avery Bradley scored just five points on 2-of-8 shooting against Memphis after averaging 14.3 over his previous three games.
3. Miami C Hassan Whiteside (expected birth of child) and SG Wayne Ellington (personal reasons) will be out of the lineup for a second straight contest.