Blake Griffin had his 24th consecutive double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds as the L.A. Clippers shocked the Miami Heat (and the world) with a 111-105 win. The Heat had won 13 straight road games coming in, within striking distance of the NBA record of 16 straight road wins. But Griffin ended all that with his familiar rampaging style.
Heat Vs. Clippers: Blake Griffin, L.A. Ends Miami’s Road Win Streak In A Shocker
Of particular note, in terms of rampaging style, Griffin got into a heated argument with former Big 12 rival Mario Chalmers during crunch time, with Griffin earning a technical. On the next Clippers' possession, Griffin defended his honor and the honor of all of Los Angeles.
Griffin had help from running mate Eric Gordon (26 points on 8-15 shooting) and alley-oop distributor Baron Davis (20 points, nine assists). The Heat simply couldn't resist anything in the paint; we aren't used to seeing Miami's defense be sliced the way L.A., a mediocre offensive unit, managed to do it.
LeBron James scored 27 points, but needed 24 shots to get there. Dwyane Wade had 31 and Chris Bosh (who got to the line for 14 free throws) had 26. The rest of the Heat team shot 8-25 and contributed just 21 points.
The Heat face Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night, and that was expected to be the team's great road test as they reached for the road record. Alas, the completely overmatched Clippers prevented all that, and the Heat have moved back behind the Boston Celtics at the top of the Eastern Conference.
Clips Nation writes that this game announced the arrival of the new Clippers. For Heat analysis, check out Peninsula Is Mightier.
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