Miami Heat shooting guard Norman Powell dropped 30 points against his former team while Bam Adebayo added 27 points and 14 rebounds in 32 minutes to defeat the Los Angeles Clippers 140-123 on Monday.
Tyler Herro and Andrew Wiggins took advantage of the Clippers’ slump by contributing 22 points each for the Heat, who also started a 30-2 run after trailing by two points in the second quarter.
The Heat were on fire as they hit 24 three pointers, tying the franchise record set on two previous occasions.
They went on another 12-0 run in the first 2:02 of the third quarter because of their three pointers, and Adebayo sank two of them that turned a 20-point halftime lead into a 32-point edge.
Meanwhile, Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard finished with 36 points, and big man Ivica Zubac added 16 and 13 rebounds.
After starting with a 3-2 win-loss record, they have gone 5-16, the worst 21-game start for the franchise since a 4-17 beginning to the 2010-11 season.
James Harden had 11 points in 20 minutes and did not play in the final 22:34, as the team was outscored by 39 points when he was on the floor.
Leonard gave his all after scoring 19 points in the fourth, getting his team within 12 with two minutes left, but the Heat answered back with another nine points with three 3-pointers to seal their win.
The Heat reached the 140-point mark for the fifth time this season after getting there a total of eight times in the franchise’s first 37 seasons.
The Clippers aim to end their slump when they visit the Hawks on Wednesday, while the Heat looks forward to maintaining their winning momentum when they face the Mavericks.
