Paul George, Kawhi Leonard Lead Clippers to Win vs. Heat Amid Jimmy Butler Injury

The Los Angeles Clippers won their fifth game in six attempts by defeating the visiting Miami Heat 128-111 on Wednesday at Staples Center.

Eight players scored in double digits for the Clippers, led by 23 apiece from Paul George and Landry Shamet. George also added 10 assists.

Kawhi Leonard filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

Per Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints, the Clippers hit a franchise-high 24 three-pointers and dished a season-high 35 assists.

All eight members of the Heat rotation scored seven or more points, with Derrick Jones Jr.'s 25 leading the way. Bam Adebayo added a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double with six assists.

Miami led 58-55 at the half, but the Clips outscored the Heat 37-22 in the third to take a 92-80 lead into the fourth.

Jimmy Butler suffered a strained right shoulder during that third quarter and did not return, per the Associated Press' Tim Reynolds. He had 11 points, seven assists and five rebounds in 26 minutes at the time of his exit.

The Heat cut the deficit to six points twice in the fourth quarter but could not come any closer. Shamet helped close out the game with 10 points in a 1:22 span to give L.A. a 119-106 lead.

The 34-16 Heat fell to fourth place in the East with the defeat. Miami had won three of its last four before the loss.

The 36-15 Clippers maintained their hold on second in the West.

Notable Performances

Heat F Derrick Jones Jr.: 25 PTS, 9 REB, 3 AST

Heat C Bam Adebayo: 22 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST

Heat G/F Jimmy Butler: 11 PTS, 7 AST, 5 REB

Clippers F Paul George: 23 PTS, 10 AST

Clippers G Landry Shamet: 23 PTS, 6 AST

Clippers F Kawhi Leonard: 14 PTS, 9 AST, 7 REB

Landry Shamet Steals the Show

Any glimmer of hope that existed for the Heat near the end of the fourth quarter evaporated because of Shamet, whose hot hand put away the Heat and gave the Clips the win to keep them in second place in the West.

With the Clippers up 109-103 with 4:02 remaining, Shamet went to work.

He drew a shooting foul and knocked down both free throws to extend the L.A. lead to eight. After Adebayo responded with a layup, Shamet once again scored with a layup off a George feed.

Then Shamet slammed the door shot following an Adebayo free throw with back-to-back threes on consecutive possessions, giving L.A. a 119-106 edge. For good measure, Shamet closed the game with four more points, including yet another three.

The 22-year-old made 6-of-13 three-pointers on the night and now has made 39.5 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Shamet can run hot and cold, as he only had two points in his last game versus the San Antonio Spurs. But he scored 10 or more points in his previous nine games to help the Clippers go 7-2 in that span.

It says a lot about the team's faith in Shamet that he was the team's offensive focal point down the stretch on a roster that includes a two-time NBA Finals MVP in Leonard, a six-time All-Star in George and a player who can get scorching hot at any time like Lou Williams.

Shamet isn't about to become the team's top scoring option on a nightly basis, but his effort shows how deep and talented this team is. He's the fifth-leading scorer on the team but is capable of helping carry the load.

That should only help L.A. as it embarks on its future playoff run and a quest to make the franchise's first-ever NBA Finals.

What's Next?

The Heat will play the second matchup of a six-game road swing against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on Friday at 10 p.m. ET.

The Clippers will begin a four-game road trip Saturday at 8 p.m. ET against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Target Center. That stretch will lead into the All-Star break.